TH E MY T H O LO GY O F A LL R A C ES
VO L UME X
N O RT H AMER ICAN
VO LUME I Greek Ro ma n a nd
WILLIAM SHERW OOD
.
F o x, P b D P rince to n Uni vers i ty
. .
VO LUME II Teuto nic
AX O
.
EL I
LE E , Ph D , Uni vers t o f o p enhag en
. . iy C .
VO LUME III Celti c , Sla vi c
ON J MAC CULLOCH D D B rid g e o f Allan Sco tland
.
CAN OHN A
MACHAL Ph D B o hemian University Pra gue
.
, . .
, , .
JA N ,
. .
, , .
VOLUME F inno Ugri c, Si beria n
IV .
UNO HOM ERG , P h D Uni versi t o f Finland Helsingfo x
. .
, s y , .
VO LUME V . Semitic
R . C AMPB ELL H O MP SON , MA . .
, Ox o rd f .
VO LUME VI . I ndi an , I ra ni an
A B ERRIE DALE K EI H , T d nb urg h Uni vers i ty Ei
O iy L
. .
ALB ERT J CARN Y , Ph. . D Univers t o f o uvai n
.
, .
VO LUME VII . A rmenian , Africa n
MARDIROS AN ANIKIAN , B D , enned ch o o l o f ss o ns , Hart K yS Mi i
f C
. .
i
o rd o nnec t c ut
G O GE O TD I i
, .
E R L F i
F UCAR , o cteur es ett res , re nch nst t ute o f Or ental
A y Ci
rc haeo lo g , a ro .
VOLUME VIII Chinese J ap anese
U HA TT O
.
,
. Litt D U i i ty f T k y
RI , . .
, n v ers o o o.
(J p E h g P f
a anese tH
xc a n e d U i ity 9 5 9 ro esso r a arva r n vers 1 1 —1 16 )
U AN A I Litt D U i ity f T k y
,
M A SAB A R ES K , . .
, n v ers o o o .
(J ap anese Exchange P rof esso r at Harvard University , 1 9 1 3—1 9 15 )
VO LUME IX O cea n i c
O
.
R L AND B URRA GE DDrO N , Ph D . .
, H a rvard Uni v ersi t y .
VOLUME X A mer ica n ( North of Mexi co )
HA T
.
R LEY B URR AL ExA NnER P h D Univers t o f N ebrask a , . .
, iy .
VOLUME XI A merican ( La ti n)
HA T
.
R LEY BURR A XAND LE ER , Ph D . Uni vers ity f N o eb rask a.
VO LUME XII Egyp t, F ar Eas t
.
W MAX MULLER Ph D , Uni ve rs t o f Pe nns lvania iy y
O S O TT
. . . .
L
,
Sm (J AMES) G E RGE C , o ndo n.
VO LUME XIII . I ndex
PLA T E I
Z UII I ma s k s fo r c e remo nia l da n c e s Upp e r a ll
.
,
c o l ou rs,
ma s k o f t he W a rri o r o f t he Z e nith ; low e r
,
b l a c k ma s k O f t he W a rri o r o f t he Nad ir Afte r 23
, .
AR B E Pl ate s L VI L VI I
, ,
. See p 1 8 9 an d Note 6 5
.
( PP 3 0 9— 1 0
)
“
T HE MYT HO LO G Y
O F A LL G ES
I N THI R TEEN VO L UM ES
L O U I S H E R B E RT G RA Y A , . M .
,
G EO RG E F O O T MO O RE , A . M.
, D D
. .
, LL D
. C O N SU L T I N G EDI T O R
N O RT H A MERIC AN
‘
BY
H A R T LEY B URR A L EX A N D E R, P H D . .
PRO FESSO R OF PHILO SO PHY
UNIV ERSITY O F N EBRASKA
V O LU M E X
‘
i B O ST O N
MA RSHAIiL JO N E S
’
C O MPA N Y
M D C C CC XVI
C OP Y R I G HT , 1 9 16
BY MA R S H A LL JO N E S CO MP AN Y
En tere d at St ti
a o n ers
’
Hall , Lo ndo n
All r i ghts reserved
P rin t e d Ap ril, 19 1 6
T
P R I N ED I N THE UNI TED ST ATE S OF
C AMB RI DGE ,
MA SSACHUSETTS
B OUND BY TH E B O ST O N B OO KB IND IN G COMPAN Y
JUN3 IB IS
! cm4 3 3 25 3 C/
A UT H O R S PR EFA C E
’
0 o ne c an be more keenly aware o f the s ket c hy n atu re
o f the stu dy here u nderta ken than i s the author The .
l iteratu re o f the subj e c t already very g reat is bein g au g
, ,
m e nt e d at a rate hitherto u nequ alled ; and it i s needles s t o
s ay that thi s fa c t alone renders any g eneral analysis at p resent
p rovi sional . A S fa r a s p os sible the author ha s endeavou red
to c onfine himsel f to a d es c ri p tive stu dy and to b ase thi s
study u p on re g ion al d ivi sions C riti c ism h a s been limited to
.
the i ndi c ation o f su gg estive analo g ies to summ aries in the
,
s ha p e o f notes and to the formu l ation o f a g eneral p l an of
,
sele c tion ( indi c ated in the I ntrodu c tion ) W i t hou t W hi c h no
,
book c ou ld be W ritten Th e time will c ertainly c ome fo r
.
a c losely an alyti c a l c om p arative stu dy o f North A m eri c an
myths but at the p resent time a g eneral des c ri p tion i s su rely
,
the work whi c h i s needed .
B ibliog ra p hi c al referen c es h ave b een almost entirely rele
g ated t o the Notes W here the sou r c es for ea c h se c tion W ill be
,
fou nd thu s avoidin g the ty p o g ra p hi c a l disfi g u rement W hi c h
,
footnotes en t ail The p l an it i s believed wil l en ab le a ready
.
, ,
i dentifi c ation o f any p as s a g e desi red and at the s ame time
,
W ill g ive a c onvenient key for the severa l treatments of related
to p i c s The B ibliog ra p hy g ives the sou r c es u p on wh i c h the text
.
i s c hiefly b ased c ha p ter for c h a p ter O ther referen c es in c i
,
.
,
d entally quoted are g iven i n the Notes The c riti c al reader s
,
.
’
attention i s c alled in p arti c u la r to Note I dealin g W ith the
, , ,
d i ffi c u lt question O f nomen c l atu re an d s p ellin g The author .
h as m ade no a t tem p t to p resent a c om p lete b iblio g ra p hy o f
A meri c an I ndi an mytholo g y For fu rther referen c es the litera
.
tu re g iven in the B ib lio g ra p hi c al Gu ides shou ld be c onsu lted ;
vi AUTH O R S P RE FA C E ’
i m p ortant works whi c h have a p p eared sin c e the p ub l i c at i o n
“ ”
o f these Gu ides are O f c ou rse duly mentioned
, ,
.
For the form and s p ellin g Of the names o f tr i bes and o f
lin g u isti c sto c ks the u s a g e o f the Ha ndbo o k of A m er ica n
I n dia ns is followed and the s ame form is u sed for both the
,
s in g u lar and for the c olle c tive p lu ral Myt hi c names o f In
.
d ian ori g in are c a p italized itali c s bein g em p loyed fo r a fe w
,
I ndian word s whi c h are not n ames The n ames o f variou s .
Obj e cts reg arded a s p ersons o r mythi c beings — su n moon , ,
e arth variou s animal s e t c — a re c a p ital ized when the p e r
, ,
.
so n ifi e d referen c e i s c lear ; otherwise no t Th i s ru le i s d iffi c u lt
.
t o m ainta i n c onsistently and the u s a g e i n the volume doubt
,
l ess varies somewhat .
“ ”
The word c orn o cc u rr i n g in p ro p er n ames , mu st be u nder
,
“ ”
s tood i n i ts dist i n c tively A meri c an meanin g o f maize .
Ma i ze be i n g the one indi g enou s c ereal of im p ortan c e i n A meri
“ ”
c a n ritu al and myth S p i r i ts o f the C orn ( to u se S ir J G
,
. .
’
F razer s c las si c p hrase ) are p rop erly s p eak i ng i n A mer i c a
, ,
” ”
S p irits of the Maize A like amb igu ity atta c hes to buffalo
.
,
whi c h in A meri c a is almost u nivers ally a p p lied to the bi son .
The illu strat i ons fo r the volume have been sele c ted with a
V i ew t o c reatin g a c lear i mp ress ion o f the art Of the North
A mer i c an I ndians , a s well a s for the i r p ertinen c y to mythi c
i dea s Th i s art var i es in c hara c ter i n the several region s qu i te
.
a s mu c h a s does the thou g ht wh i c h i t refle c ts I t i s i nterestin g .
to note the var i ety i n the treatment o f similar themes or i n
the c onstru c tion o f s imilar c eremon i al arti c les ; for this reason
r e p resentat i ons o f d i fferent modes o f p resent i ng like idea s
have been c hosen from diverse sou rc es : thu s the Thunderbird ,
c on c e p tion a p p ear s i n Plates I I I , V I XV I and F i gu re 1 ;
, ,
the c eremonial p ole i n Pl ates XI I XV I I XXX ; and m as ks , ,
from widely se p arate area s are shown in the Frontis p i e c e and in
Plates I V V I I XXV XXXI I n a few c ases ( a s Plates I I
, , ,
.
,
V I I I IX , X I XV I I I and p robably X IX ) the art i s modified
, , ,
by white i nfluen c e ; i n the maj ority o f exam p le s i t i s p u rely
A UT H O R S P RE F A C E’
abor i ginal The motives wh i c h p rom p t the several treatments
.
a re interestin g ly var i ou s : thu s the i m p u lse whi c h lies behin d
,
Plates I I V I I I IX XV I I I X IX i s p u rely the desire fo r p ic
, , , ,
t o ria l illu stration Of a mythi c story ; mnemon i c histori c al o r , ,
heraldi c in c hara c ter p rom p ted by the desire fo r re c ord
a re Plates V X XI XV I I XX XX I XXX XXXI I XXX I I I
, , , , , , , ,
while the maj or i ty Of the remainin g exam p les a re re p resenta
tion s Of c u lt-O bj e c ts Throu g h all however i s t o be ob served
.
, ,
the keen aesthet i c inst i n c t whi c h i s so marked a tra i t o f North
A mer i c an tribes .
The author desi res t o ex p res s h i s sense Of obl i g at i on t o the
ed i tor Of thi s series D r L ou i s H Gray fo r numerou s an d
,
. .
,
valu able emendat i ons and to D r Melv i n R Gilmore re c ently
,
. .
,
o f the Nebras ka State H istor i c al So c i ety no w C u rator o f the ,
State Hi stori c al So c iety o f North Da kota es p e c i ally fo r the ,
mater i al s a p p earing i n Note 58 a nd Plate XIV .
HA RTLE Y B U RR ALE XAN DE R .
MA RCH 1, 19 16.
C O N T EN T S
P AG E
A UTHOR S P R E F A C E
’
I N TRO D U CT I O N
C HA PT E R I TH E FA R NORTH
.
I No rs e m a n a n d S k r a e lin g
II Th e Es k i mo s Worl d
’
III The Wo rl d -Pow e rs
IV The Wo rl d s R e g ions
’
V The B eg inni n g s
VI Li fe a n d D e a th
C H A PT E R II . TH E F OR E S T TR I B E S
I Fo re s t Reg i o n
The
IIP ri e s t a n d Pa g a n
III The Ma ni to s
IV The G rea t S p iri t
V The F r am e O f th e Worl d
VI The Po wers A b ove
VI ITh e Pow ers B el ow
VI II Th e El d ers O f th e K in d s
C H A PT E R III . TH E F OR E S T
TR I B E S ( co n ti n u ed)
I Iro q uoi a n Cos mo g on y
II Al g on qu i a n Cos mo g on y
III Th e D elu g e
IV Th e S la y i n g o f th e D ra g on
V Th e Th e ft o f F ire
VI S un-Myth s
VI I The Vill a g e o f S ouls
VII I Hia w a th a
CH A PT E R IV TH E G U L F R E G I O N
.
I Tri b e s an d Lan d s
I I Su n-Wors h i p
X C ON T E N T S
I I I The N ew Mai z e
IV Cos m og oni e s
V Ani m al Stori e s
VI Tri c ks ters a n d Won d e r-F olk
VI I Myth i c His tory
CH A PT E R V TH E GR EA T P L A I N S
.
I The Tri b al Stoc ks
I I An Ath a p as c an Pa n th eon
I I I The G rea t G o d s o f th e Plains
IV The Li fe of th e Worl d
V Me d i c ine
“ ”
VI F a th er S un
VI I Moth er Earth an d D au g hter Corn
VII I The Morning S t ar
IX The G o d s o f th e Elem en t s
CH A PT E R V I TH E GR EA T P L A I N S ( co nti nued)
.
I Ath a p as c an Cos m og onies
II S iouan Cos m og onies
III Ca dd oan Cos m og oni e s
IV The S on o f th e S un
V The My s t ery o f D ea th
VI P rop h e t s an d Won d er-Workers
VI I . Mi g ra t ion-Legen d s an d Year-Coun t s .
C H A PT E R VII M O U N TA I N AND D E S E RT
.
I The G rea t D ivi d e
I I The Go d s of th e Moun t ains
I I I The Worl d an d i t s D eni z ens
IV Sh a h a p t ian an d Shos h onean Worl d-Sh a p ers
V Coyo te
VI S p iri t s G h os t s an d Bog ies
, ,
VI I Prop h e t s an d th e G h os t-D an ce
CH A PT E R VIII M O UN TA I N AND D E S E RT ( co ntinued)
.
I The N ava h o an d th e ir G o d s
II Th e N a va h o G en e sis
III The Cre a t i o n o f th e S un
IV N ava h o Ri tual Myth s
C ON T E NTS xi
V Ap a ch e an d Pi m an Mytholog y
VI Yu m an Mytholog y
C H A PT E R IX . P U E B LO D W E LL E R S
TH E
I The Pue b los
II Pue b lo Cos m olog y
III G o d s an d Kat c inas
IV The Calen da r
V The G rea t R i t e s an d th e ir Myth s
VI S ia an d Hop i Cos mog oni e s
VI I Zu fi i Cos m og on y
C H A PT ER X . PA C I F I C CO A S T W E S T
TH E ,
I The Cali forn ia-O reg on Tri b es
II Reli g ion an d C e rem onies
III The Crea tor
IV Ca t a cl y s m s
V The F irs t Peop le
VI F ire an d Li g ht
VI I D ea th an d th e G hos t-Worl d
C H A PT E R XI TH E PA C I F I C CO AS T NO RTH
.
,
I Peop les o f th e N orth -W e s t Coas t
II To t em is m an d To t e m i c S p iri t s
III S ec re t S oc iet i e s an d th eir Tu telaries
IV The Worl d an d i t s Rulers
V The S un an d th e Moon
VI The R aven Cy c le
VI I S ouls an d th eir Powers
PI OT R S
B IB L I O G RA PH Y
I LLUS T RAT I ON S
F A CI NG
Ap a c h e m e d i c ine-s h ir t Coloure d
Zu fi i m as k s for c erem onia l d an ces Coloure d
W all d e cora t ion in th e room of a Rain Pries t Zu ii i
,
Al t ar o f th e An t el o p e P ries t s o f th e Hop i Coloure d
Ma i d u i m ag e for a wom an
Mai d u i m ag e for a m an
F ra m e of Hai d a h ouse w i th to tem -p ole
Kw a k iu t l c erem onial m asks Coloure d
Hai d a c res t s f ro m t a tu d esi g ns
,
C h ilka t b lanke t Coloure d
ILLU S T RAT I ON S I N THE T E XT
FI G U RE P AG E
1 B ir d liked ei ty 71
2 Map of th e worl d as d ra wn by a Th om p son R iver I n d ian 14 8
MA P
Map of th e Ling uis t i c Stoc k s o f N or th Am eri ca Coloure d
IN T R O D UC T IO N
F the term be u nderstood a s si g nifyin g a systemati c an d
c ons c iou s a rran g ement of mythi c c h ara c ters an d events ,
it i s c ertainly a misnomer to s p ea k of the stories of the
“
North Ameri c an I ndi an s as mytholog y . To be su re c e r ,
tain tribes and g rou p s ( as the I roquois the Pawnee the Zu fi i
, , ,
the Bella Coola to mention widely sep arate exam p les ) h ave
,
attained to someth i n g like c onsisten c y and u niformity i n
thei r mythi c beliefs ( and it i s si g nifi c ant that in j u st these
g rou p s the p ro c es s of anth ro p omor p hization h a s g one farthest) ;
but nowhere o n the c ontinent c a n we find anythin g li ke the
sense for system whi c h in the O ld World is in p a rt eviden c ed
and i n p a rt introdu c ed by the e p i c literatu res — A ryan ,
B abylon i an Greek No rse
, ,
.
Mytholog y in the c l as si c a c c ep tation therefore c a n s c ar c ely
, ,
be said to exist in North A me ri c a ; but in qu ite another sense
belief in more o r les s c learly p ersonified n atu re-p owers an d
the p ossession o f stor i es na rratin g the deed s and a dventu res
Of these p erson s the I ndians own not one but m any
, ,
mytholog ies ; for every tribe and Often within the tribe ea c h
, , ,
c lan and so c iety ,
h as its ind ividu al mythi c lore Here a g ain
.
the statement need s qu alifyin g B eliefs va ry from tribe to
.
’
tribe even from c l an to c lan and yet throu g hout if one s
, , ,
attention be b roadly d ire c ted there a re fund amental s imil
,
ties an d u n iformities th at afford a b asi s for a kind o f c riti c al
re c onstru c tion o f a North A meri c an I ndia n mytholog y NO .
sin g le tribe and no g rou p of tribes ha s c om p letely ex p res sed
thi s mytholog y mu c h less h as any realized its form ; but the
student Of I nd ian lore c an s c ar c ely fail to be c ome c ons c iou s Of
a c oherent system o f myths Of whi c h the I ndian s themselves
,
xv i I N T R O D U CT I O N
mi g ht have be c ome awa re in c ou rse O f t ime if the intervention ,
o f O ld -World ideas had not c onfu sed them .
A numb e r of d istin c tions a re the ne c ess a ry introdu c tion to
any study of I ndia n my t h I n t he fi rst p la c e in Ameri c a no
.
, ,
more th an i n t h e O ld World a re we to identify reli g ion with
,
mytholog y The two a re intimately related ; eve ry mytholog y
.
is in some de g ree an e ff ort to define a reli g ion ; and yet there i s
no p rofou nd p arallelis m between g o d and hero no immutable ,
relation be tween reli g iou s c eremony and mythi c tale even ,
w hen the tale be tol d to ex p lain t he c eremony NO illu stra .
t ion c ou ld be better than i s a ff orded by t he fa c t that the g rea t
est O f I ndian mythi c heroes the Tri c kster-Tran sformer now
, ,
H a re now C oyote now R aven is nowhere im p ortant in ri t u al ;
, , ,
’
while t he p owers whi c h evoke the I ndian s dee p est veneration ,
Father S ky and Mother E arth a re of ra re a p p earan c e in the
,
tales .
’
Th e I ndian s reli g ion mu st be studied in his rites rather than
in his myths ; and it may be wor t h while here to desi g nate the
most si g nifi c ant and g eneral of these ri t es Foremost is the .
c alumet c eremony in whi c h smoke O ff erin g is made to the sky
,
—
,
’
the ea rth and the rulers O f earth s qu a rters c onstitu t in g a kind
, ,
H ardly se c ond
’
o f ritu alisti c defini t ion O f the I nd ian s c osmos .
to this i s t he ri t e o f the sweat-ba t h whi c h is not merely a means
,
o f healin g disease bu t a p rayer for stren g th and p u rifi c ation
,
add ressed t o the elements earth fi re water ai r in whi c h , , , ,
resides the life-g ivin g p ower O f the u niverse Thi rd in order .
a re c eremonies su c h as fasting and V i g il for the p u rp ose Of
, ,
indu c in g vision s that shall d ire c t the way o f life ; for amon g the
’
I ndian s dee p est c onvi c tions is his belief that the whole e n
v iro n m e n t of p hysi c al life i s o n e of stren g th -imbuin g p owers
only thinly veiled from si g ht and tou c h Shamanis t i c or me .
d iu m ist ic rites restin g u p on belief in the p ower Of u n seen
,
bein g s to p os ses s and ins p i re the mortal body form a fou r t h ,
g rou p Of c eremonies A fifth
. is c om osed Of the
p g reat co m
“
m u n al c eremonies c ommonly c alled d an c es by white men
, .
X .
—
" '
I
I N T RO D U CT I O N xvii
These a re almost invariably in the form O f d ramat i c p rayers
c ombin ations o f s a c rifi c e son g and symbol i c p erson ation
, ,
add res sed to the g reat n atu re-p owers t o su n an d earth to the , ,
rain—brin g ers and to the g ivers O f food an d g ame A fin al
,
.
g rou p i s formed O f rites in honou r Of the dead or Of an c estral
tutelaries c eremonies u su ally annu al and varyin g in p u rp ose
,
from soli c itu de for the welfare o f the de p ar t ed to desi re for
thei r assi stan c e and p ro p i t iation Of thei r p ossib le ill will .
I n these ritu al s a re defined the essenti al bein g s O f the In
d ia n s p a g an reli g ion There i s the Great S p irit re p resented
’
.
,
’
by Father S ky o r by the s ky s g reat in c a rn a t ion t h e Su n ,
Fa t her There a re Mother E arth and her d au g hter the C orn
.
,
Mo t her There are the intermed iaries between the p owers b e
.
low and those above in c lu d in g the bi rd s and the g reat mythi c
,
Thu nderbi rd th e wind s and the c lou d s and the c elestial bod ies
,
.
There a re the E lders o r Gu ardian s Of the animal kind s who
, , ,
re p lenish the earth with g ame and c ome a s hel p ers to the hu nts
men ; and there i s the vast c onger i es o f thin g s p otent belon g ,
ing both to the seen and to the u nseen world whose hel p may ,
“ ”
b e won in the form o f medi c ine by the man who knows the
u sa g es o f Natu re .
I nevitably these p owers find a flu c tu atin g re p resentation in
fl
the varyin g imagery o f myth C onsi sten c y i s not d e m a n d e d
.
’
fo r the I ndian s mode Of thou g ht i s too dee p ly symboli c for
him to reg ard his o wn stories as literal : they are
g ory nor history ; they are myth with a truth mid ,
f
that of alle g ory and t h at Of history Myth c an p ro p erly b e .
defined only with referen c e to its sou r c es and motives Now .
the motives of I ndian stories a re in g eneral not d iffi c u lt to
determine The vast m aj ority are Obviou sly tol d for enter
.
t ain m e nt ; they re p resent an a rt the a rt Of fi c tion ; an d they ,
fall into the c l asses of fi c tion s ati re and humou r roman c e , , ,
adventu re A g ain not a few a re mora l alleg ories o r they a re
.
, ,
fables with Obviou s lessons su c h a s Often a p p ear in the story
,
o f the theft Of fire when it deta i ls the kinds o f wood from whi c h
X —. 2
xviii I N T R OD U CT I O N
fi re c an best be kindled A third motive i s ou r u n i versally
. .
human c u riosity : we desire to know the c au ses O f thin g s ,
whether they be the for c es that u nderlie re c u rrent p henomen a
o r the seemin g p u r p oses th at m ark the be g innin g s and g overn
the c ou rse o f history Myth s th at detail c au ses are s
.
infan c y and they a re p erha p s the only stories
,
ro
p p erly be c alled myths T hey may. be sim p ly fan c ifu l
p lanations Of the ori g in o f animal traits tellin g w h —
y
’ ’
dog s nose is c ol d or why the robin s b reast i s red ; and then we
h ave the bea st fable They may be no less fan c ifu l a c cou nts O f
.
the institution of some rite o r c u stom whose san c tion is dee p er
than reason ; and we h ave th e so -c alled aetiolog i c al myth .
They may be semi-histori c al rem i nis c en c es of the inau g u ration
Of new ways Of life o f the c onquest O f fi re or the int ro d u c
,
tion o f maize by myth i c al wise men ; or they may p o rtray re
c overable tribal histories th rou g h the distorted p ers p e c tive Of
leg end I n the most S i g nifi c ant g rou p O f all they seek to co n
.
,
c e p t u a liz e the be g innin g s of all thin g s in those c osmo g oni c
alle g ories Of whi c h the nebu lar hyp othesis i s only the most
re c ently out g rown exam p le .
Stories whi c h s atisfy c u riosity about c au ses are t rue myth s .
Wi t h this c riterion it s hould p erha p s seem an easy tas k for the
student to se p a rate mytholog y from fi c t ion and to sele c t o r ,
rej e c t from his m aterials B ut the thin g i s not so sim p le
. .
Hu man motives in whatever g rade Of so c iety are seldom u m
, ,
m ixed ; it is mu c h eas ier to analyze them in kind than to
d is t in g u is h them in exam p le Ta ke su c h a theme as the well
.
ni g h u niversally North A meri c an a c c ount Of the ori g in of
death O n the fa c e o f it it i s a c au s al ex p lan ation ; but in very
.
,
m any exam p les it is a moral tale while in not a few instan c es,
both the s c ientifi c and the moral interest dis a p p ear before the
aestheti c I n a Wi keno story death c ame into the world by the
.
“
will o f a little bird ,
Ho w should I nest me in you r warm
”
g raves if ye men live forever ! and however g rim the fan c y ,
it is d i ffi c u lt to see anythin g but a rt in it s motive ; but i n the
I N T RO D U CT I O N x ix
v ersion known to the A r c ti c Hi g hlanders where the p oi g n ,
ant c hoi c e is p u t Will ye h ave eternal darknes s and eterna l
,
”
life or li g ht and death
,
! ar t and morality and p hilosop hy
a re al l intermin g led .
To p erfe c t ou r c riterion we mu st ad d to the an alysi s O f mo
tive the s t u dy of the sou r c es O f mythi c c on c e p tions I n a .
b road way these are the su gg estion s O f environin g natu re
, ,
the analog ies O f human n atu re both p sy c hi c al and p hysi
olog i c al ima g ination and borrowin g s Prob ably the first o f
, ,
.
these i s t h e most im p ortant t hou g h the natu re myth is fa r
,
-
from bein g t he S im p le and inevitable th in g an elder g enera
’
tion O f stu dents wou ld make O f it Men s ideas ne c ess arily re .
fl e c t the worl d that they know and even where the my t hi c
,
in c idents are the s ame the timbre Of the tale will vary say ,
from the Y u kon to the Mississ i p p i in the eastern fores t o r on , ,
the wes t ern desert There are p hysiog ra p hi c al boundaries
.
wi t hin t he c on t inent whi c h form a n atu ral c ha rt O f the d ivi
s ions in the c om p lexion O f abori g in al t hou g ht ; and while there
a re numberles s o v e rlap p in g s out c ro p p in g s an d intru s ions
, , ,
none the les s stri kin g are the g eneral c onformities o f the c ha r
a c t er of the several reg ions with the c h ara c ter of the my t hi c
lore develo p ed in t hem The forests of the E ast the Great
.
,
Plain s the arid South -West se c lu ded C alifornia the North
, , ,
Western a r c hi p ela g o ea c h has its o w n trai t s of thou g ht as it
,
h as its o wn trai t s Of n a t u re and it is inevi t able that we su p
,
p ose t he former t o be in some de g ree a refle c tion o f the l atter .
B eyond all this there a re c ertain c onstan c ies Of n atu re the ,
su c c es sion of d arknes s and li g ht the c ir c le o f the season s the
, ,
mo t ion s o f su n moon and sta rs Of rivers and wind s that
, , , ,
a ff e c t men everywhere an d everywhere c olou r thei r fan c ies ;
and it i s not the least interes t in g featu re of the stu dy O f a wide
s p read mythi c theme O r in c ident to see the variety Of n atu ral
p henomen a for whi c h it may first and l ast serve
,
to a c c ou nt , ,
s in c e the myth m aker does not find his story in n atu re but
—
,
w rites it there with her c olou rin g .
xx I N T ROD U CT I O N
Th e se c ond g reat sou r c e of myth material is found in t he
analog ies Of human n atu re Primarily these a re p sy c hi c al
.
°
the desi res an d p u rp oses of men a re assumed qu ite u n c o n ,
’
s c io u s ly t o animate and to ins p ire the w h ole d ram a O f n a t u re s
,
g row t h and c han g e and thu s the u niverse be c omes p eo p led w ith
,
p ersonali t ies,
ran in
g g in definition from the senseles sly vora
c io u s a p p e t i t es in c a rnated as monsters to the self-p osses sed ,
“
p u rp ose and not infrequently the
,
sweet reason ablenes s
,
o f m an -bein g s and g od s B esides the p sy c hi c al however
.
, ,
there a re the p hysi c al analog ies o f hu mankind Th e most .
elementary a re the p hysiolo g i c al whi c h lead to a symbolis m
,
now g ruesome now p oe t i c The heart the hair and t he b reath
,
.
, ,
are the most s i g nifi c ant to the I ndian an d their inner meanin g ,
c oul d s c ar c ely be better indi c ated than in the word s of a
Pawnee p riest from whom A li c e Fle t c her Obtained her re p ort
o f the Ha k o . O ne ac t O f thi s c eremony is the p l a c in g Of a
b it O f white down in the hair of a c onse c rated c h ild and in ,
“
ex p lainin g this rite t he p riest s aid : The down i s taken from
u nder the win g s Of the white ea g le The down g rew c lose t o .
the hea rt o f the ea g le and moved a s the ea g le b reathed I t .
re p resents the b reath and life Of t he white ea g le the father O f ,
”
the c hild . Fu rther s in c e the ea g le is in t ermediary be t ween
,
“
m an and Father Heaven the white downy fea t her wh i c h i s
, , ,
ever mov i n g a s if it were b reathin g rep resents Tirawa at iu s ,
-
,
who dwells beyond the blue S ky whi c h is above the soft white
, ,
” “ ’
c louds ; and it is p la c ed in the c hild s hair o n t he s p ot where
’ ”
a b aby s s ku l l is Op en and you c an see it b reathe This is the
,
.
p oe t i c s ide of the symbolism ; the g ruesome is re p resented by
s c al p in g by the tearin g o u t O f the hear t and sometimes by
, ,
the devou rin g o f it for the sake Of Obtainin g the stren g th O f
the slain A nother p hase o f p hysiolog i c al symbolism ha s to do
.
’
w it h the b arb ari an s never p alin g c u riosi t y about matters of
—
s e x ; there i s l ittl e tra c e o f p halli c worshi p in Nor t h A meri c a ,
’
but the I ndian s myth s abound in in c idents whi c h are as u m
c ons c i ou sly a s they a re u nbl ushin g ly inde c ent A s t ran g e and .
xx u I N T R O D U CT I O N
i m p ressive . Nevertheles s u niversal borrowin g i s a di ffi c u l t
,
hy p othesis for innumerable instan c es show a n identity Of O ld
,
World and New-World ideas where c ommu ni c ation within
,
thinkable time is in c redible Even in th e New World there a re
.
wide se p a ra t ions for identi c al notions that seem to im p ly d is
tin c t ori g ins Thu s t he A r c ti c Hi g hlanders who h ave only
.
,
re c en t ly learned that t here are other p eo p les in the world p o s ,
sess ideas identi c al with those O f the I nd ians O f the far South .
When su c h an idea i s s im p ly that there is a c avernou s u nder
world whi c h i s an abode Of s p iri t s t here is no need to as su m e
,
c ommu ni c ation for the notion is world —wide ; but when the two
,
re g ions a g ree in asser t in g t hat there are fo u r u nderworld c av
erns an idea whi c h is in no sen se a na t u ral inferen c e then
the su sp ICIo n Of c ommuni c ation be c omes inevi t ab le A g ain .
,
c onstell ation myths whi c h s e e in C orona B orealis a c ir c le of
-
C hieftains in the Pleiades a g rou p o f d an c ers in U rs a Maj or
, ,
a quad ru p ed p u rsued by th ree hu nters mi g ht h ave many ,
inde p endent ori g ins ; but when we en c ou nter so c u riou s a story
as that of the in c estuou s rel ations O f the Su n and the Moon
told by E s kimo in the north and C herokee in the south c o m ,
m u n ic at io n is a g ain su g g ested ; and this su gg est i on be c omes
a lmost c ertainty when we find fu rther that a s p e c ial in c iden t
, ,
O f this myth the d aubin g Of the se c ret lover with p aint or
a shes by whi c h he is later id e n t ifi e d a p p ears in another
—
ta le fou nd in nearly every p art O f the c ontinent the story of ,
the g i rl who bore c hild ren to a d o g .
I n the story j u st mentioned the c hild ren Of the g irl and th e
d o g sometimes be c ome stars sometimes the an c estors of a trib e
,
o r c lan o f men ; and this i s a fair illu stration of the manner i n
w hi c h i n c idents h avin g all the c hara c ter O f fi c tion are m ade to
s e rve a s ex p l an atory myths by their va riou s u sers The fu nd a .
mental m at e rial Of myth is rather a c olle c tion of in c idents
fitted into the s c heme of th in g s su gg ested by p er c e p tion an d
h ab it than the stark invention O f natu re ; and while the in c i
d ents mu st have an invention somewhere the g reater p ortion , .
I N T R O D U C TI O N x xiii
Of them seem to be g iven by art and ado p ted by natu re ,
borrowin g and ad a p tation bein g for the s ava g e as for the c ivil
,
iz e d man more fa c ile t h an new thinkin g
,
.
I n every c onsiderable c olle c tion o f I ndian stor i es there a re
many ada p tations of c ommon ideas and in c idents I n d ifferent .
re g ion s th is b asi c material c omes to c hara c teristi c forms Of
ex p res sion Finally in t he c ontinent a s a whole viewed a s one
.
, ,
g reat re g ion there is,
a g enerally definable s c heme w i thin whi c h ,
the my t hi c c on c ep tions Of t he North Ameri c an fall into p l a c e .
I t is in this sense and with referen c e to this s c heme th at we
, ,
m ay s p eak O f a North A meri c an I nd ian mytholog i c al system .
O n the s ide of c osmolog y the s c heme h a s al ready been
,
i nd i c ated There is a worl d above the home Of the S ky
.
,
Fa t her and of the c elestial p owers ; there is a world below the ,
embod iment Of the E arth Mother and the abode o f the dead ;
there is the c entral p lane Of the ea rth and there are the g eni i ,
o f its Qu ar t ers B ut c osmolo g y serves only to define the
.
theatre ; it does not g ive the a c tion Cosmo g ony is the essen .
tial d ram a I n the I nd ian s c heme the beg innin g i s seldom
.
ab solute A few tr i bes re c o g nize a c reator who m akes or a
.
p ro c reator w ho generates the worl d and its i nhab itants ; but
the u su al c on c e p tion i s either of a p re—existent s ky world -
,
eo
p p led w i th the ima g es of the be i ngs Of an earth -world yet to
c ome into bein g or el se Of a kind of c osmi c womb from whi c h
,
the Fi rst Peo p le were to have thei r ori g in I n the former typ e .
o f le g end t h e a c tion be g in s with the des c ent o f a heaven -born
,
Titaness ; in the latter the fi rst ac t p ortrays the as c ent o f the
,
an c estral bein g s from the p la c e O f g eneration U niformly the .
,
next ac t O f the world d ram a details the deed s o f a hero or of
twin heroes who are the sh a p ers and I awg ivers Of the h ab itable
earth They c onquer the p r i mitive monsters and set in order
.
the fu rnitu re O f c reation ; qu ite g enerally one o f them i s sl ain , ,
and p asses to the u nderworld to be c ome i ts Plutonian lord .
The theft o f fi re the or i g i n o f death the liberat i on o f the ani
, ,
mals the g ivin g of the arts the i n stitution O f r i tes are al l
, ,
I N T R O D U CT I O N
themes that re c u r on c e an d a g ain and i n form s that s how
, ,
su rp risin g ly small variation U niversal too i s the c ata c lysmi c
.
, ,
destru c tion o f t he earth by flood o r fi re and flood leavin g a
, ,
few su rvivors to re p op u l ate the restored l and U su ally th i s .
event m ark s t he c lose Of a Fi rst o r A ntediluvian Ag e in whi c h
'
, ,
the p eop le were either animal in form o r only abortively hu
m an A fter the flood the an i mal s a re transformed on c e for
.
all into the bein g s they now are while the new ra c e Of men is
,
c reated . I t i s not a little c u riou s to find in many tribes tales
Of a c onfu s i on o f ton g ues and d is p ersion o f n ations b rin g i n g
to a c lose the c osmogon i c p eriod and leadin g i nto that Of
legend ary history .
Su ch i n b road outl i ne i s the c hart o f the I ndian s c osm i c
, ,
’
p ers p e c tive I t is w i th a v i ew to i ts fu ller i llu stration th at the
.
myths stu d i ed i n the en su i n g c ha p ters h ave been c hosen fro m
the great body o f A mer i c an I nd i an lore .
N O RT H A MER IC A N MY T H O LO GY
N O R T H AM E R I CAN
MY T H O L O G Y
C HAPT ER I
TH E F A R N O R T H
I . NO R S EMAN AN D S KRAE L I NG
N the yea r O f o u r L ord 9 8 2 E ri c the R ed outlawed from ,
I c eland d is c overed Greenland whi c h S hor t ly aft erwa rd
, ,
’
w a s c olonized by I c elanders E ri c s so n L eif the L u c ky the
.
, ,
fi rs t C h ri stian o f the New World voya g in g from Norway to,
G reenl and c ame u p on a reg ion to the south o f Greenl an d
,
w here
“
self—sown c or n and w i l d vines g rew and whi c h
”
, ,
a c c ordin g ly ,
he named V inland Thi s wa s in the yea r 10 00
.
,
the yea r i n whi c h al l Mediaeval Eu rop e wa s lookin g for the
’
Se c ond A dvent and for earth s destru c tion bu t whi c h b rou g ht ,
i n stead the fi rst dis c overy O f a New Worl d .
A s yet no p eo p le h ad been en c ou ntered by the Sc a n d in a
v ians in the new-fou nd lands B ut the news o f V inl and sti rre d
.
the heart o f Tho rfi nn K a rlse fn i and o f hi s wife G u d rid an d ,
with a c om p any o f men and two shi p s they se t o u t for th e
r e g ion whi c h L eif had fou nd F irst they c ame to a l and wh i c h
.
“ ”
t hey c alled He llu la n d the l and Of fl at stones whi c h seemed
, ,
t o them a p la c e O f little worth Next they vis ited a wooded
.
l a n d fu ll Of wild beasts and this they n amed Markland
, .
F inally they c ame to V inl and and there they dwelt for three
,
w inters G u d rid g i vin g bi rth to Sno rri the first white c hild
, ,
b orn on the Western C ontinent I t wa s in V inland that the.
“
N orsemen fi rst en c ou ntered the Sk rae ling s : They saw a
n umber o f s kin c anoes an d staves were b randished from
,
t he i r boats with a noise like fl a il s and they were revolved in
,
”
Tho rfi nn s b an d
’
t he s ame di re c t i on i n whi c h the su n moves .
2 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
was small the Sk rae lin g s were a mu lti t u de ; S O the c olony re
,
tu rned to G reenland in t he year 100 6 .
A p p aren t ly no fu rther attem p t w a s made to settle t he main
land thou g h from t ime t o time voya g es were made thither for
,
c ar g oes o f timber B ut the G reenland c olony c on t inued u m
.
,
moles t ed and flou rishin g A bout t h e middle o f the thir t eenth
.
c entury p eo p les from t he nor t h short and swart be g an t o
, ,
a p p ear ; en c ou nters be c ame u nfriendly and i n 1 34 1 the nor t h ,
e r n m o st S c andinavian settlement was destroyed Meanwhile .
,
shi p s were c omin g from Norway less and les s frequently and ,
the c olony c eased to p ros p er c eased to be heard from A t th e
,
.
time when Colu mbu s d i s c overed the A n t illes there wa s a
B isho p o f Greenland holdin g ti t le from the Po p e but there is
, ,
no eviden c e that he ever saw his dio c ese and when i n 1 58 5 , , ,
John D avi s sailed into the strait now bearin g hi s n ame al l
,
tra c e Of the No rse m e n s c olony wa s lost
’
.
B ut the p eo p le Of the Far Nor t h h ad not forg otten an d ,
when the white men a g ain c ame amon g them they still p re
s erved leg end s O f former K ablu n a it The story o f the fi rst
1
.
meetin g O f the two p eo p les s t ill su rvived a nd Of thei r mutu al ,
c u riosity and fear and Of how an E skimo and a white man
,
be c ame fast friend s ea c h u nable t o outdo the other in feats of
,
skill and stren g th u ntil at la st the E skimo wo n in a c ontest at
,
ar c hery and the white man wa s c a st down a p re c i p i c e by hi s
,
fellow-c ou ntrymen There i s the story o f E s kimo men lyin g
.
i n wait and stealin g the women Of the K ablu n ait a s they c ame
to d raw water There are stories Of blood feud s between the
.
two p eo p les and o f the destru c tion o f whole villa g es A t I kat
,
.
the K ablu n ait were ta ken by su rp ri se ; fou r fathers with thei r
c hild ren fled o u t u on the ic e and all were d rowned ; sometimes
p
they a re vi sible at the botto m o f the sea and then say the , ,
E skimo o ne Of o u r p eo p le will die
,
.
Su c h are the memories Of the lost c olony whi c h t he G reen
l anders have p reserved B ut far and wide amon g t he E s kimo
.
tribes there i s the trad i t ion o f thei r former as so c ia t ion with
PLA T E I I
En c ou nt e r o f Es k i mo a nd K ab lu nait , from a G ree n
la ndic d raw i ng . A fte r H Rin k ,
. a nd Tr a ditions
f
o t he Eskimo .
THE FAR N O R T H 3
the Tornit the I nlanders from whom t hey were p a rted by feu d
, ,
a n d wa r . The Tornit were taller and stron g er and S wi ft er
than t he E skimo and most of them were blea r-eyed ; thei r
,
d res s and wea p ons were d ifferen t and they were no t so s kil
,
fu l in boa t in g a n d sealin g or w i t h t he bow Finally an Es .
,
kimo youth qu arrelled wi t h one Of t he Torni t and sle w him ,
borin g a hole in his forehead w i t h a d rill O f c rys t al A f t er that .
a ll t he Torni t fled away for fea r O f t he Es kimo and sin c e t hen
t h e C oa st-Peo p le and t he I nland -D w ellers have been enemies .
I n t he s t ories O f th e Tornit m ay be some va g ue re c olle c t ion s
o f t he an c ien t Norsemen ; more p lau sibly they re p resent the
I ndian nei g h bou rs O f th e E s kimoan t ribes o n the mainl and ,
for t o t he G reenlanders t he I nd ians had lon g be c ome a fabulou s
a nd ma g i c al ra c e Sometimes t hey s a y the Torni t s t eal women
.
, ,
who a re lost in the fo g but witha l are not very d an g erou s ;
,
they kee p o u t O f si g ht of men and a re terribly afraid of dog s .
B esides the Tornit there a re in the E s kimo s u n c anny I nl and ’
e lves and c annibal g iants o n e-eyed p eop le s ha p e shifters
, ,
-
,
d o g men and monsters su c h a s the Am aro k o r g iant wolf
-
, , , ,
o r t he horrid c ater illa r that a wom an nu rsed u ntil i t rew o
p g s
hu g e t h a t it devou red her baby for i t is a re g ion where
—
h is t ory and ima g ination min g le in nebu lou s marvel 2 .
II . TH E E S K I M O S W OR L D
’
There is p rob ably no p eo p le on the g lobe more isolated i n
t heir c ha ra c ter and thei r life than are the E s kimo Their n at .
u ral home is to t he g reater p art O f man kind o ne O f the least
i nvitin g re g ion s o f the earth and they h ave held it for c entu ries
,
wi t h li tt le rival ry from other ra c es I t is the c oastal re g ion
.
Of the A r c t i c O c ean from A l as ka to L ab rador and from L ab ra
d o r to the north O f Greenlan d : in la n d wa rd it i s bou nded by
frozen p l ains where even t he c on t inuou s d ay O f A r c ti c su m
,
mer frees only a few in c hes O f soil ; seawa rd it borders u p on
ic y waters sol id du rin g the lon g months of the A r c ti c ni g ht
,
.
4 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
The c aribou and more es sent i ally the seal are the two an i mal s
u p on whi c h the whole e c onomy O f E s k i mo life dep end s bot h ,
for food and for bod ily c overin g ; the c a r i bou i s hu nted in
su mmer the seal i s the m a i n relian c e fo r w i nter B ut t he
,
.
p rovi sion O f a hu ntin eo
g p p le is never c ertain ; the seasona l
su p p ly Of g ame i s flu c tu at i ng ; and the Es kimo is no stran g er t o
starvation His is not a green world but a world o f white s
.
,
and g reys shot with the o c c asional s p lendou rs o f the North
, .
Ni g ht is more O p en to him than the d ay ; he i s a c qu a i nte d
with the stars and death is his familia r .
“
O u r c ou ntry has wide borders ; there i s no man born h as
travelled rou nd it ; and it bears se c rets in i ts bosom O f whi c h no
white man d reams Up here we live two different lives ; in
.
the Summer u nder the torc h of the Wa rm Su n ; in the Winter
, ,
u nder the l ash Of th e North Wind B ut i t i s the d ark a n d
.
the c old th at make u s thin k most A nd when the lon g D a rk
.
nes s s p reads itself over the c ou nt ry m any hidden thin g s are
,
’ ”
revealed and men s thou g hts travel alon g deviou s p aths
,
“ ”
( quoted from B lind A mb rosiu s a West G reen lander by
, ,
R asmu ssen The P eop le of the P o la r N o rth p
, ,
.
The reli g iou s and mythi c al ideas o f the E s kimo wear t h e
hu es Of thei r l ife They a re s ava g es eas ily c heered when foo d
.
,
i s p le nty and when d isheartened o p p res sed rather by a blin d
,
h e lp le sSn e ss than by any sense O f i g noran c e o r any de p th Of
thou g ht Their so c ial org anization is loose ; thei r l aw i s
.
stren g th ; their di ff eren c es are settled by b lood feu ds ; a kin d
Of u n c ons c iou s inde c en c y c h ara c terizes the relations Of th e
sexes ; but they h ave the c rude vi rtu es Of a sim p ly g reg a riou s
p eo p le ready hos p itality willin g nes s to share a lively if fi t
—
, ,
fu l a ff e c tion atenes s a sense Of fun They a re g iven to s in g in g
,
.
an d d an c in g and tale-tellin g ; to ma g i c an d tran c e an d s p i rit
j ou rneys Thei r adventu res i n real life a re g rim enou g h bu t
.
,
these a re outmat c hed by thei r fli g hts o f fan c y A s thei r l ife .
demand s they are ra p a c iou s and in g rained hu ntsmen ; an d
,
p erha p s the stron g est trait o f thei r tales is the su c c es s ion of
THE F A R NO RT H 5
ima g es refle c t i ng the intim ate h abits of a p eop le whose eve ry
member i s a but c her blubb er and entrail s an d warm blood ,
bones an d the fou lnes s of p aras i tes and de c ay : these re p l a c e
the tenderer i m a g es su g g ested to the m i nd s o f p eop les who
dwell i n flowered and verdu red l and s .
III . THE WOR L D -P OWER S
For the Es k i mo a s for all s ava g e p eop le the world i s u p
, ,
held by invi sible p owers Eve rythin g in n atu re h as it s I nu a
.
3
,
” “ ”
its owner o r indweller ; stones an d animals h ave thei r
I nue the ai r has an I nu a there is even an I nu a O f the stren g th
, ,
o r the a p p etite ; the dead man is the I nu a of his g rave the sou l ,
i s the I nu a O f the lifeles s body I nue a re se p arab le from the
.
”
obj e c ts O f whi c h they a re the owners ; norm ally they a re
invisible but at t i mes they a p p ear in the form Of a li g ht or a
,
fi re an ill-seen thin g foretokening death
,
.
“ ”
The owners O f Obj e c ts m ay be c ome the hel p ers o r gu a rd
ians o f men and then they are known a s To rnait E s p e c ially
4
.
“
p otent a re the I nue Of stones and bea rs ; if a bea r owner
be c omes the To rn a k o f a m an the m an may be eaten by the
,
bear and vom i ted u p a g a i n ; he then be c omes an A nga kok or ,
s haman with the bea r for h is hel p er Men or women w i th
5
,
.
many o r p owerfu l To rn ait are o f the c l as s O f A ngakut endowed ,
with ma g i c a l and healin g p ower an d w i th eyes that see hidden
thin g s .
The Greenlanders h ad a vague bel i ef i n a be i n g To rnarsu k , ,
the Great To rn a k o r ruler Of the To rnait th rough whom the
, ,
A n g akut Obtained their c ontrol over their hel p ers ; but a li ke
belief seem s not to have been p revalent on the c ontinent 6
.
I n the s p iritu al e c onomy o f the E s kimo the c h i ef p la c e i s,
held by a woman -bein g the O ld Woman O f the Sea
, N e rri ,
v ik the
,
“
F oo d D i sh the no rth G reenlanders c all her
”
,
while ,
—
Sedn a i s a ma i nl and n ame for her 7
O n c e sh e was a mortal
.
woman ; a p etrel wooed her w i th entran c in g son g and c arried
6 NO RTH AM E R I CA N MYTH O LO G Y
her to his home beyond the sea TO O late she fou nd that he.
h ad de c eived her When her rela t ives tried to res c u e her
.
,
the b i rd raised su c h a storm th at they c ast her into the sea to
s ave themselves ; she attem p ted to c lin g to the boat but they ,
c u t O ff her h and and s he s an k to the bottom her severed fi n
, ,
g ers bein g transformed i nto wh ales and seals O f the severa l
kinds I n her hou se in the de p ths O f the se a N e rriv ik dwells
.
,
trimmin g her l am p g u arded by a terrible do g an d ru lin g over
, ,
the animal l ife Of the dee p Sometimes men c at c h no seals
.
,
and then the A n g a kut g o down to her and for c e o r p ersu ade
her to release the food animal s ; that is why she is c alled the
”
Food D ish . I t is not d i ffi c u lt to p er c eive in this Woman Of
’
the Sea a kind o f Mother of Wild L ife — a hu nter fol k s g o d
des s but c ruel an d c a p ri c iou s as i s the se a i tself
,
.
I n the hou se of Sedn a i s a s hadowy bein g An g uta her father , , .
Some say th at it wa s he who res c ued her and then c ast her
overboard to s ave himself and he i s si g nifi c antly su rn amed
,
“ ”
the Man with Somethin g to C ut L ike his d au g hter A n g uta
.
,
h a s a maimed hand and it is w i th this that he seizes the dea d
,
and d ra g s them down to the hou se of Sedn a for her so v e r
e ig nt y i s over the sou ls O f the dead as well a s over the food O f
the l ivin g ; s he is Mistres s o f L ife and of Death A c c ordin g to .
the Ol d Greenlandi c tradition when the A n g a kut g O down to
,
the Woman Of the Sea they p as s fi rst th rou g h the reg ion Of
the dead then a c ros s an abys s where an ic y wheel is forever
,
revolvin g next by a boilin g c au ld ron with seal s in it and lastly
, , ,
when the g reat do g at the door is evaded within the very e m ,
tran c e there is a se c ond abys s b rid g ed only by a kn ifeli ke way .
’
Su c h was the Es kimo s des cens u s Avern o 8
.
THE W O R L D S R E G I ONS
’
IV .
’
A s the E s kimo s I nlan d i s p eo p led with monstrou s tribes ,
so i s his Sea F ront p o p u lou s w i th stran g e be i n g s There a re
- 9
.
the I nu e o f the s e a
'
a kind of me rmen ; there a re the mi rage
8 N O RTH AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
fi rst th ree a re low-roofed and u n c omfortable only the fou rth ,
and lowest is roomy and p leasant The u p p er world is beyon d .
the visible s k y whi c h is a hu g e dome revolvin g about a mou n
,
tain —t o p ; i t is a land wi t h it s o wn hills and valleys du p li c atin g ,
“ ”
E a r th I t s owners a re the I nue Of t he c elestial bodies who
.
,
on c e were men but who h ave been translated to the heaven s
,
and a re now the c eles t ial li g hts Th e road to the u p p er worl d
.
is not free from p erils : o n the way to the moon there i s a
p erson wh o tem p ts wayfa rers to l au g hter and if su c c essfu l ,
in makin g them l au g h takes out their entrails Perha p s thi s
8
.
i s a kind O f p ro c es s o f d isembodyin g ; for re p eatedly in Es
kimo myth o c c u r s p irit-bein g s whi c h when seen fa c e to fa c e
a p p ea r to b e hum an be i n g s but when seen from beh ind a re
,
li ke s keleton s 12
.
V . THE B E G I NN INGS
The Su n and the Moon were sister and b rother mortal s
on c e I n a hou se where there was no li g ht they lay to g ether
.
,
and when the s ister d is c overed who had been her c om p anion ,
in her shame she tore o ff her b reasts and th rew them to her
“
b rother s ayin g
,
S in c e my body p lea se t h thee taste these
, , ,
”
to o. Then sh e fled away her b rother p u rsu in g and ea c h
, ,
bearin g t he tor c hes by means o f whi c h they h ad dis c overed
o n e another A s they ran they rose u p into the heaven s ;
.
’
the sister s tor c h bu rned stron g and b ri g ht and s he be c ame ,
’
the Sun ; the b rother s tor c h d ied to a mere ember and he b e ,
c ame the Moon When the Su n rises in the s ky and summer
13
.
“ ”
i s a p p roa c hin g she is c om i n g to g ive wa rmth to orp h ans
, ,
s a y t he Es kimo ; for in the Fa r Nor t h where many times i n ,
the winter sta rvation is near the lot Of the orp han is g rimly ,
u n c ertain .
The Greenl anders are alert t o the stars es p e c ially thos e ,
th at foretell the retu rn O f the summer s u n ; when O rion i s
seen towa rd d awn su mmer is c omin g and hea rts a re j oyou s
,
.
PLA T E I I I
Ex am p l e f g o rg et,
o o r b rea st o r n am ent o f w o od
—
, ,
u s ed by t he Es k i mo o fw e stern A l a s ka in s hama n isti c
da n c e s O fte n in c omb i n at i o n w ith a ma s k O n t he
,
.
o rig i n a l ( n o w in t he Un ited State s Nat i o n a l Mu s e um ) ,
t he c e nt ra l fi u re o f a m an Sta n d i n o n a wha l e an d
g g
ho ld ing fi s he s is p a int ed in re d a ll t he oth e r fi g u re s be
,
ing in b l a c k . T he c e ntra l fi g u re re p re s e nt s a ma ri ne
o d or i a nt p ro bab l t he Food G i ve r
-
S e e Not e
g g , y .
9,
(P
Ha r p oo n-re stw ith S k etc h o f a myth i c b ird c a pt ur
ing a wha l e F rom C a p e Pri n c e o f W a l e s N ow in
. .
Unit ed State s Nati o n a l Mu s e um .T he b ird is p rob
ab ly t h e T hu nd e rb ird a s in t he si m il a r moti ve in t he
,
a rt o f t h e No rth W e s t C oa s t In d i ans
-
.
THE FAR NO RTH 9
The Es k i mo tel l how men with dog s on c e p u rsued a bear fa r
o u t o n the ic e ; su ddenly the bea r be g an to rise into the ai r ,
hi s p u rsuers followed and this g rou p be c ame the c onstellation
,
whi c h we name O rion A like story i s sometimes told o f the
.
G reat B ear ( U rs a Maj or) H a rsher i s the tale whi c h tell s O f
.
”
the c omin g Of V enu s : He who S t and s and L isten s
“
fo r
’
the su n s c om p anion is a man to the E s kimo A n Ol d man so .
,
the story g oes wa s sealin g nea r the S hore ; the noise o f c hil
,
.
d ren p layin g in a c left O f ro c k fri g h t ened the seal s away ;
and a t las t in his an g er he ordered t he c lef t to c lose over them
, ,
.
When t hei r p a rents re t u rned from hu ntin g all they c ou ld d o ,
w a s to p ou r a li tt le blood down a fi ssu re whi c h had been left ,
but the im p risoned c hildren soon sta rved They then p u rsued .
the Old m an but he shot u p into the s k y and b e c ame the lu mi
,
n ou s p lanet whi c h i s seen lo w in the west when the light be g in s
14
to retu rn after the wintry d ark .
The E s kimo do not g reatly trouble themselves with thou g hts
a s to the be g innin g s o f the world a s a whole ; rather they ta ke
it for g ranted qu i te u ns p e c u latively There is however a n
,
.
, ,
Odd Greenlandi c tale o f how earth d rop p ed down from the
heavens soil an d stones formin g the l and s we know B ab ies
, ,
.
c ame forth — earth -born and s p rawled about amon g t he
—
dwarf willows ; and there they were fou nd by a man and a
woman ( none knows when c e these c ame ) and the woman mad e ,
c lothes for them and so there were p eop le ; and the m a n
,
stam p ed u p on the earth when c e s p ran g ea c h from it s tin y
, ,
mou nd the do g s t hat men need At first there wa s no death ;
,
15
.
n either wa s there any su n Two Old women deb ated and o n e
.
,
“ ”
s aid L et u s do wi t hou t li g ht if so we c an be withou t death ;
, ,
”
but the other s aid Nay let u s have both li g ht an d death !
, ,
and as s he s p oke i t was ,
The Fa r North h a s also a widely re p eated story o f a delu g e
’
that destroyed most Of the earth s life a s well a s another wide ,
s p read a c c ou nt O f the bi rth Of the diff erent ra c es o f man
kind for at first all men were E skimo from the u nion o f a
IO N O RTH AM E R I CAN M YT H O LO G Y
the an c estors o f the white men s h e p u t i n
17
g irl with a d og :
the sole O f a boot a nd sent them to find thei r own c ountry ,
and when the white men s s hi p s c ame a g ain 10 a s seen from
’
, ,
-
above the body of ea c h shi p looked p re c isely like the sole of a
,
boo t !
VI . LI F E AN D D EATH
B irth and death in E skimo c on c e p tion a re les s a beg inn i n g
, ,
and an end than e p isodes o f l ife Bodies a re only instruments .
“ ”
o f sou ls the sou ls whi c h a re thei r owners ; a nd wh at re
s p e c t i s shown for t he bodies o f the dead is b ased u p on a very
definite awe Of the p oten c ies Of thei r I nue whi c h h ave been ,
au g mented rather than d iminished by the l ast liberation .
Sou ls may be born and reborn both a s m an a nd a s beast ,
and some have been known to run the whole g amut Of t he an i
mal kin g dom before retu rnin g to hu man sha p e 18
O rdina rily .
human souls a re reborn a s men Monsters too a re born Of .
, ,
human p arents : o ne Of the most g h astly Of the northern tales
”
i s the S tory o f the B aby who ate its p arents ; it tore Off its
’
mother s b rea sts a s she su c kled i t it devou red her body and ,
’
ate its fa t her ; and then c overed with its p arents b lood an d
,
c ryin g fo r meat it c rawled horribly towa rd the fol k who fled
, ,
in terror 19
.
“ ’
B esides the sou l whi c h i s the body s owner the E s kimo b e
lieve in a name soul - 20
The name o f the dead man is not men
.
t io n e d by his kinsfolk u ntil a c hil d ha s c ome into the worl d to
bea r i t anew Then when the name ha s t hu s been reborn the
.
, ,
’
dead man s p ro p er sou l i s free to leave t he c orp se and g o to
t he land o f the de p a rted An O dd va ri ant O f t hi s Greenl andi c
.
no t ion wa s en c ountered by S t ef ansson amon g the western
t ribes : these p eo p le believe that t he sou l O f the dead rela t ive
en t ers t he body Of t he new-born c hild g u a rdin g and p rote c t ,
in g i t s life and utterin g all its word s u ntil it rea c hes the ag e of
d is c re t ion ; then t he c hild s o wn sou l is su p p osed to as sume
’
sway and i t is c alled af t er a n ame of its o w n I f there h ave
, .
N O R TH A M E R I CA N M YTH O LO G Y
world u p for the p owers mu st not be off ended We Observe
, .
o u r c u s t oms in order to hold ea c h other u p
,
. We a re afraid of
the g rea t Evil Men a re so hel p less in the fa c e Of illnes s The
.
.
p eo p le here do p enan c e
, be c au se the dead a re stron
g in thei r
”
vital s ap and boundles s in thei r mi g ht
, .
C HAPT ER I I
TH E F O R E S T T R IB E S
I . THE F O R E ST R E G I ON
HEN B ri t ish and Fren c h and Dut c h olonized North c
Ameri c a in the seven t eenth c entu ry the re g ion whi c h ,
t hey en t ered was a c ontinuou s forest extendin g nor t hward to
the tree line o f L ab rador and Hud son s B ay west sou t hwa rd to ’
,
t he foo t-hills O f the mou ntains and the shores Of the Gulf and ,
westward to about the lon g itude of the Mis siss i p p i R iver .
This vast region wa s inhabi t ed by nu merou s tribes o f a ra c e
new to white men The Norse du rin g thei r b rief stay in V in
.
,
.
l and o n the northern borders of the forest land s h ad heard
, , ,
throu g h the Sk raeling s o f men who wore fringed ga rments
, ,
c arried lon g s p ea rs and whoo p ed lou dly ; but they had not
,
seen those p eo p le whom it had rem ained for C olumbu s fi rst
,
“ ”
to en c ou nter These men
. I ndians C olumbu s h ad c alled
them were in res p e c t to p olity org anized i nto sm all tribal
, ,
grou p s ; but these g rou p s u su ally followin g rel ationsh i p i n
,
s p ee c h and n atu ral p roximity were in tu rn loosely bo u nd to
, , ,
” “ ”
g ether in c onfedera c ies o r n ations Even beyond these .
limits affi nity o f s p ee c h delimited c e rtain maj or g rou p s o r ,
lin g u isti c sto c ks normally re p resentin g c onsan g u ineou s ra c es ;
,
and indeed the whole forest re g ion from the realm o f the
, , ,
E sk i mo in the north to the alluvial and c oastal land s borderin g
o n the Gu lf was domin ated by t wo great lin g u isti c sto c ks the
, ,
A lgonqu i an and the I roquoian whose tribes were the fi rst ,
abori g ines en c ou ntered by the white c olonists .
The A lgonqu i ans when the whites a p p eared were by fa r
, ,
the more numerou s and wide-s p read o f the two p eo p les .
14 N O RTH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
Their t ribes in c luded , alon g the Atlanti c oast the Mi c ma c O f c ,
New B runswi c k and Nova S c otia the Abna ki Penna c ook , , ,
Mas sa c hu se t Nau set Narra g anset Pequot e t c Of New
, , , ,
.
,
En g land t he Mahi c an and Montau k o f New Y ork the Dela
, ,
wa re o f New Jersey and the N anti c oke and Powh atan o f V i r
,
inia and Nor t h C arolina No rth O f the St L awren c e were the
g
. .
Mon t a g nais and A l g onqu in tribes while westwa rd were the ,
C hi p p ewa and C ree m ainly between the G reat L akes and
,
Hudson s B ay The Potawatomi Menominee S au k and Fo x
’
.
, , ,
Miami I llinois and Sh awnee o cc u p ied territory extendin g
, ,
from the western l akes southwa rd to Tennes see and westwa rd
t o the Mississi p p i O n the Great Plains the A ra p aho and C hey
.
enne and in the R o c ky Mountain s the S iksika o r B l a c kfeet , ,
w ere remote re p resentatives of this vast family o f tribes .
I n c ontrast the I roquoian p eop les were c om p a c t and little di
,
v id e d
. The two c entres o f thei r p ower were the re g ion about
L akes E rie and O ntario and the u p p er St L awren c e south .
,
ward throu g h c entral New Y ork and Pennsylvania and the ,
mou ntainou s re g ion O f the C a rolina and V i rg ini a c olonies .
O f the northern tribes the Five Nation s o r I roquois Co n
23
,
federa c y of New Y ork and the C anad ian Hu ron with whom
, , ,
they were p erp etu ally at w a r were the most im p ortant ; of ,
the sou t hern the Tu s c arora and C herokee I n all the wide
,
.
t erritory o c c u p ied by these two g reat sto c ks the only co n sid
c rable intrusion wa s that O f the C atawba an o ff shoot O f the ,
famed Siou an sto c k o f the Pl ains whi c h h ad established ,
i t self between the I roquoian C herokee and the Alg o a ia n
Powhatan .
As the territories Of the forest tribes were s imila r heavily
wooded whether o n mou ntain o r p l ain c op iou sly watered
, , ,
abou ndin g in g ame and n atu ral fru its S O were their modes o f
l ife and thou g ht c ast to the s ame p attern Every man was a .
hu nter ; bu t ex c e p t in the C anad ian north a g ri c ultu re wa s p ra e
, ,
t ise d by t he women with maize for the rin c i al c ro 24
and
,p p p ,
the villa g es were a cc ord in g ly p ermanent I ndu stries were of .
PLAT E I V
C e re mo ni a l ma s k O f t he Iroqu o is I nd ians N e w ,
Y o rk C ar ved wood p a int ed re d T h is mas k re p t e
. .
se nt s o n e O f t h e r e at a n th ro i c b e i n s d e fe at ed in
g p g
p ri ma l t i m e s by t h e Ma s t e r o f L i fe ; it s fa c e p re ,
v io u s l
y b e aut i fu l
,
wa s c o nto rt e d in t h e s t r u gg l e .
S p ec i m e n in t he Un i ted State s N ati o na l Mus e um .
16 N O RTH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
the R ed Man s p a g an sou l It is to these mission a ry p r i ests
’
.
’
that we owe mos t o f ou r knowled g e O f the I ndian s n ative b e
liefs a t leas t for the earlier p eriod They entered the wilder
,
.
nes s t o c onvert t h e sava g e and a c c ordin g ly it be c ame thei r ,
immedia t e interest to d is c over what reli g iou s ideas this c hild
o f natu re already p osses sed I n thei r letters on the l an g u a g e
.
,
ins t i t u t ions and ideas of the I ndians written for the enli g hten
, ,
ment O f t hose intendin g to enter the mission field we have the ,
first reliable a c c ounts O f I nd ian myth and reli g ion .
To be su re the Fa t hers did not immediately u nderstand
,
t he abori g ines I n one Of the earliest of the Rela tio ns Pé re
.
“
Lale m ant wrote of the Monta g nais : They have no form O f
,
d ivine worshi p nor any kind of p rayers but su c h ex p ressions
mean sim p ly tha t the missionaries found amon g the I ndian s
nothin g S imilar to their own reli g iou s p ra c ti c es I n the Rela .
ti o n of 164 7 4 8 P e t e R ag u e n a u s aid writin g Of t he H u ron
—
,
“
To s p eak truly all the nations of these c ou ntr i es h ave t e
,
c e iv e d from their an c estors no knowled g e of a God ; and before ,
we set foot here all that was rel ated about the c rea t ion o f the
,
world c onsisted of nothin g but myths Neve rtheless thou g h .
,
they were barbarians there remained in their hea r t s a se c ret
,
idea Of the Divini t y and O f a fi rst Prin c i p le the author Of all ,
thin g s whom they invoked without knowin g him I n the for
,
.
es t s and du rin g t he c hase o n the waters and when in d an g er , ,
Of shi p wre c k they name him A ires leo uy So u ta nditenr an d
,
25
,
c all him to t heir aid I n wa r and in the midst of their b attles
.
, ,
they g ive him the name Of 0ndo u ta ete and believe th at he alone
.
awards t he vi c tory 59
V ery frequently they add ress them selves
.
t o t he Sky p ayin g it homa g e ; and they c all u p on the Su n to
,
be witness of their c ou ra g e O f thei r misery or O f their inno , ,
c en c e
. But above all in treaties of pea c e and allian c e with
, ,
forei g n Na t ions t hey invoke a s wit n e sse s o f t heir s in c erity , ,
t he Su n and the Sky whi c h see in t o the de p ths of their hea rts
, ,
and will wreak ven g ean c e o n the t rea c hery o f those who betray
their trus t and do not kee p t heir word SO true is what Te r .
THE FO R E S T TR I B E S 17
tullian s aid o f the most infidel Nations that n atu re in the ,
midst Of p erils makes them s p ea k with a C h ristian voi c e ,
Ex cla m a n t vo cem n a tu r al iter Chr is tia n am and h ave re c ou rs e ,
to a God whom they i nvoke almost without knowin g h im ,
” 6
I g n o to Deo .
Excla m a n t vo cem n a tu r a li ter Chr is tia n a m
Two c entu r i es ’ .
l ater another Jesu i t Father De Smet u ses the s ame ex p res sion
, ,
“
i n des c r i bin g the reli g iou s feelin g o f the Kans a tribe : When
w e showed t hem an E c c e Homo and a statue O f ou r L ady o f the
S even Dolou rs and the interp reter ex p lained to them that that
,
head c ro w ned with thorn s and th at c ou nten an c e d efi le d with
,
i nsu lts were the tru e and real ima g e o f a God who h ad died
,
for love o f u s and that the heart they s aw p ierc ed with seven
,
sword s wa s the hea rt of his mother we beheld an a ff e c tin g illu s
,
t rat io n o f the beautifu l thou g ht of Tertu llian that the sou l ,
”
Of man i s n atu rally C hristian !
I t is not stran g e therefore th at when these s ame F athers
, ,
fou n d in Ameri c a myths of a c reation and a delu g e of a fal l ,
from heaven and of a sinfu l c hoi c e b r i n g in g death into the
world they c on c e i ved that in the new-fou nd A meri c ans they
,
h ad d i s c overed the lost tribes O f I s rael .
I II . THE MAN I TO S 3
The definition of bein g is S im p ly p ower says a s p eaker ,
’
in Plato s Sop his t; and this i s a statement to whi c h every
A meri c an I ndian wou ld a c c ede E a c h bein g in n atu re the
.
,
I ndians believe ha s an indwellin g p ower by means of whi c h
,
this bein g m aintain s it s p a rt i c u la r c hara c ter and in its own way
a ffe c ts other bein g s Su c h p owers m ay be l ittle or g reat
.
,
weak or mi g hty ; and Of c ou rse it behooves a m an to know whi c h
ones a re g reat and mi g hty O utwa rd a p p ea ran c es are no su re
.
S i g n of the stren g th of an indwell in g p oten c y ; Often a small
a nimal o r a letharg i c stone may be the seat of a mi g hty p ower ;
but u su ally some p e c u lia rity will indi c ate to the thou g htfu l
18 N O RTH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
Observer t he Obj e c t O f ex c e p tional mi g ht or it m ay be revealed ,
in a d ream o r vision TO be c ome the p ossessor o f su c h an O b
.
’
j c et is t o h ave one s o w n p owers p rop ortionally in c reased ; it
“ ”
is g ood medi c ine and will make one stron g .
Every Ameri c an l an g ua g e has its n ame for these indwellin g
“ ”
p o w ers o f thin g s T h e E skimo word i s I nu a
. or owner ; ,
t he I roquois em p loy the word O rend a and for m a lefi c e nt ,
”
p owers ,
o r
“
bad ma g i c O t g on ; the H
,
u ron word is O ki ;
26
the
Siou an Wakanda B u t the term by whi c h the idea h as be c om e
,
.
mos t g enerally known to white men doubtles s be c au se it wa s ,
t he word u sed by the I ndians fi rst en c ou ntered by the c olo
mists is the A l g onqu ian Manitou Manito or Manido a s it i s
, , , ,
“ ”
variou sly s p elled The c u stoma ry transl ation s are p ower
.
,
“ ” “ “ ” “
mystery ma g i c and c ommoner yet s p irit and med i
, , , ,
”
c ine and the full meanin g Of the word wou ld in c lude al l
o f these ; for the p owers of things in c lu de every g radation from
the c ommon and ne g li g ible to the mysteriou s and m a g i c al
when they p ertain to the hi g her forc es o f n atu re they a re in
t e llig e n t s p irits able to hear and answer su p p li c ations ; and
,
’
wherever they may be a p p rop riated to man s need they a re
medi c ine s p i ri tu al and p hysi c al
,
.
The I ndian does not m ake a s we do a sharp d i v i sion b e , ,
tween p hysi c al and s p i ritu al p owers ; rather he is c on c erned ,
with the distin c tion between the wea k and the strong : the
s u b -human he may negle c t o r c onquer the su p erhuman he ,
mu st su p p li c ate and a p p ease I t is c ommonly to these latter
.
,
“ ”
the mi g hty Manitos that the word s p irit i s a p p l ied
, .
Nor mu st we su p p ose that the Manitos always retain the
same sha p e Natu re is c onstantly c han g in g c onstantly tran s
.
,
formin g herself in every p art ; she is fu ll Of energ y full of l ife ; ,
Manitos are everywhere effe c tin g these transformations p re ,
sentin g themselves now in this S ha p e now in that C o u se ,
.
quently t he I ndian does not j ud g e by the su p erfi c ial g ift O f
,
vision ; he stu dies the effe c ts Of th in g s and in Obj e c ts o f hum ,
blest a p p earan c e he Often find s eviden c es o f the h i g hest p o w
PL A T E V
C h i p p e wa p i c to gra p h i c re c o rd o f Mid e w i w in s o ngs
a n d ri te s A ft e r S c hoo l c ra ft India n Tr ibes p a rt i
.
, , ,
Plat e L I T wo re c o rd s a re g i ve n ; th ey are re ad from
.
ri ht to l e ft a n d u p wa rd Fo ll ow i n
g are i n t e r re
p
g .
,
rat i o n s o f t he fi g u re s ab ri d ge d from S c hoo l c ra ft , .
Uppe r rec o rd : 1 Me d i c i n e l od g e w ith w i ng ed
.
fi gu re re p re s e nt i ng t he G re at S p irit c om e to i nstru c t
t he I nd i a n s 2 C a n d idate fo r adm issio n w ith p ou c h
. .
atta c h ed to h is a rm ; w i nd g u s he s from t he p ouc h .
3 . P a us e i n d i c ati n
, g p r e p a rati o n o f fe a s t 4 A r m . .
ho ld i ng a d is h re p re s e nt i ng hand o f th e m a ste r o f
,
c e re mo n i e s 5 Sw e at-l od e 6 A rm o f t h e p ri e s t
.
g . . .
who c ondu ct s t he c a nd idat e 7 S ymbo l fo r g i fts . .
,
t he adm issi o n fe e o f c a n d i dat e 8 Sa c re d t re e w ith . .
,
m ed i c i ne root 9 Stuffe d c ra n e m e d i c i ne bag 1 0
. .
- . .
A rrow p e n et rat i ng th e c i rc l e O f t he sk y 11 A . .
s ma ll h ig h fl ying hawk 1 2 T he s ky t he G re at
- . .
,
S p i rit abo v e it a ma ni to s a rm u p ra is e d b e n e ath in
,
’
s u p p li c at io n 1
3 . P au se 14 Sa.c re d o r mag i c . .
tre e 1 5 D rum st ic k
. . 16 Ha l f o f t he s ky w ith a
. .
m an wa l k i ng o n i t s ymbo l o f m idday ,
1
7 T h e . .
G re at S p irit fi lli ng a ll s p a c e w ith his b e a m s and ha l o .
18 . D rum 19. T ambou rin e w ith feath e r o rn a
.
m ent s 20 Crow 2 1 A n init iat e o r p ri e st ho ld
. . . .
ing in o n e ha nd a d r um st i c k in t he oth e r th e c l oud s ,
o f t he c e l e st i a l h e m is p h e r e .
Low e r rec o rd : 1 A W ab e n o s o r do c tor s ha nd .
’
,
’
, .
2 . Sac red tree o r p l ant 3 A W ab e no do g 4 . . . .
S i c k m an v o m it ing blo o d 5 Pi pe h e re re p re s e nt ,
. .
,
ing “ bad m e d i c i n e 6 A wo r m that e at s d ec ayi ng
. .
wood 7 A W ab e n o s p irit add re ss e d fo r aid 8
. .
, . .
A hu nte r w ith W ab e n o p ow e rs 9 T h e G reat . .
S p irit fi lli ng t he sk y w ith h is p re s e nc e 1 0 Sk y
, . .
w ith c l oud s 11 Fabu l ou s mo nste r c ha si ng t he
. .
c l oud s 12 . Ho r ned wo l f . 13 T he wa r e ag l e . . .
I4 . Bo w and a rrow magi c a lly p ot e nt 15 A ,
. .
Mid e i niti ate o r do c tor ho l d i ng t he sk y 1 6 T he
, , . .
su n .17 Bo w a nd a rro w s hoot i ng p ow e r
. 18 . .
Man w ith d rum in e c sta sy C f Pl at e XX , . . .
20 N O RTH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
myths a re told ; he is aloof from the world of sen se ; and he is
p
er h a p s bes t named as some translators
, p refer the Great ,
Mys t ery O f all t hin g s .
Y et t he Grea t S p i rit i s not w i thout p ro p er names P e re .
L e Jeune wro t e t hu s in 1 633 c on c ernin g t he Monta g nais ,
They say t ha t there is a c ertain o n e whom they c all Ata ho ca n ,
who made all thin g s Tal kin g one d ay Of God in a c abin they
.
, ,
as ked me what t his God w a s I told them that it was he who .
c ould do everythin g and who h ad made the S ky and E a rth
,
.
‘
They be g an to say to o n e another At a ho c a n At aho c an it is , , ,
Winslow writin g in 16 22 mentions a simila r
, ,
s p irit K ie ht a n re c o g nized by the Mas s a c hu setts I ndians ;
, ,
and t he early writers o n the V i rg ini a I ndians tel l O f thei r belief
“
t hat there i s o ne c hiefe God that h ath beene from al l eterni
”
tie who made t he world and s et the su n and moon and stars
t o be his ministers The I roquoian tribes h ave no p re c i s e
.
equ ivalent for the A l g onqu ian K it shi Manito but they b e ,
lie v e d in a simila r s p irit known by the name O f Aresk o u i o r
,
Ag re s k o u i to whom they Off ered the fi rst -fru its o f the c h as e
,
and Of v i c toriou s war The terrible letter in whi c h P e re I s aa c
.
Jog ues re c ounts his stay amon g the I roquois as a p risoner , ,
“
t ells O f the sa c rifi c e o f a woman c a p tive to this de i ty : A n d
as oft en as they a p p lied the fi re to th at u nh a p p y one with
tor c hes and bu rnin g b rands a n Ol d man c ried in a lou d voi c e :
,
‘
Aire s k o i we sa c rifi c e to thee this vi c tim th at thou mayst
,
satisfy thyself with her flesh and g i ve u s v i c tory over o u r ,
29
The u su al rite to the Great S p irit however is not Of thi s , ,
horrible kind F rom c oast to c oast the s a c red C alumet i s
.
’
t h e I ndian s altar and its smoke is the p rop er Offerin g to
,
Heaven 30
.
“
The S c e p tres o f ou r Kin g s a re not so mu c h t e
“
s p e ct e d wro t e Marqu ette for the S ava g es h ave su c h a
, ,
Deferen c e for this Pi p e that one m ay c al l it the Go d of P ea ce
,
a n d Wa r
f Life a nd Dea th
” “
a n d the A r bi ter o
, I t was really .
a tou c hin g s p e c ta c le to se e the c alumet the I ndian emblem ,
THE FO RE S T T R I B E S 21
f p ea c e ,
raised heavenward by the hand O f a s ava g e p resent
'
o ,
ing it to the Master of L ife im p lorin g his p ity o n all hi s c hil
d ren on ea rth and be gg in g him t o c onfi rm the g ood resolution s
”
whi c h they had m ade This is a c omment of Father De
.
Smet who s p ent many years among many di ff erent tribes
, ,
and it i s he who p reserves fo r u s the Delawa re s t ory o f the
g ift of the C alumet to man : Th e p eo p les o f the North had
resolved u p on a wa r o f extermin a t ion a g ainst the Delaware ,
when in the mids t Of t hei r c ou n c il a d azzlin g wh ite b ird
, ,
a p p ea red amon g them and p oised wi t h outs p read win g s above
the head o f the only d au g hter o f the head c hief The g irl .
“
hea rd a voi c e s p eakin g wi t hin her whi c h said : C all all the
,
wa rriors to g ether ; ma ke known to them that the heart o f the
G reat S p i rit i s s a d is c overed with a d ark and heavy c lou d
, ,
be c au se they seek to d rin k the blood o f his fi rst -born c hild ren ,
the L enni-Le nn ap i the eldest o f a ll the tribes on ea rth To
,
.
a p p ease the an g er of the Maste r of L ife and to brin g b a c k
,
ha p p ines s to his heart all the wa rriors mu st wash their hand s
,
i n the blood o f a youn g fawn ; then loaded with p resents an d
, ,
the Ho bo wak a n [c alumet] in thei r hands they mu st g o all ,
together and p resent themselves to thei r elder b rothers ; they
mu st distribute thei r g ifts and smoke to g ether the g reat c alu
,
met of p ea c e and b rotherhood whi c h is to ma ke them o ne
,
forever .
V . THE F RAME O F THE W O R LD 11
Herodotu s said f
the Persians : I t i s the i r wont to p e r
o
form s a c rifi c es to Zeu s g oin g u p to the most lofty Of the mou n
,
tains ; and the whole c ir c le of the heaven s they c all Zeu s ;
and they s a c rifi c e to the Sun and the Moon and the E a rth ,
to Fire and to Wate r and to the Winds ; these a re the only
”
g od s to whom they have sa c rifi c ed ever from the fi rst The .
r i tu al o f the c alumet ind i c ates identi c ally the same c o n c e p
30
“
tion o f the world —p owers amon g the A meri c an I ndians On .
” “
all g reat o cc asions s ays De Smet
,
in thei r reli g iou s an d
,
22 N O RTH A M E R I CAN M Y TH O LO G Y
p
oli t i c al c eremonies and a t t hei r great feasts the c alu met p re
, ,
s ides ; t he sava g es send its first fru i t s o r its fi rst p u ff s to the , ,
G rea t Wa c onda o r Mas t er o f L ife to the Sun whi c h g ives
, , ,
th em li g h t and to the Ea r t h and Water by whi c h they a re
,
nou rished ; then t hey d ire c t a p uff to ea c h p oint of the c o m
”
p ass,
be in
gg g of H eaven all the elements and favorable winds .
A nd a g ain : They o ff er the C alumet to the Great S p i rit to ,
the Fou r Winds t o the Sun Fire E a rth an d Wa t er
, , , .
The ri t ual o f t he c alumet defines for the I ndian the frame
o f the world and the distribution of its indwellin g p owers .
A bove in t he remote and shinin g s k y i s the Great S p i rit
, , ,
whose p ower is t he b reath of life that p ermea t es all na t u re and
whose manifesta t ion i s the li g h t whi c h reveals c rea t ion A s .
the S p irit o f li g ht he shows himself in t he su n the eye o f the
“
,
”
Grea t S p iri t ; as t he b rea t h o f life he p enetrates all t he worl d
in t h e form o f the movin g Winds B elow is Mother E a rt h .
,
g ivin g for t h the Water o f L ife and nou ris hin,g in her bosom
all org ani c beings the Plant Form s and the Anim al Form s
,
.
The bird s are the intermediaries be t ween the h abi t a t ion of men
and t he Powers Above ; ser p ents and the c reatu res of the waters
are in t ermediaries c ommu ni c a t in g with the Powers B elow .
’
Su c h in b road definition wa s t he I ndian s c on c e p tion of the
, ,
world -p o w ers B u t he was not u nwillin g t o elabora t e t his S im
.
p le s c heme .T h e world as he c on c,
eived it i s a s t oreyed world ,
above th e flat ear t h i s the realm o f wind s and c lou ds h au n t ed ,
by s p iri t s and traversed by the g reat Thu nderbird ; above t his ,
the Sun and the Moon and t he S t ars h ave their c ou rse ; while
hi g h over all i s t he c ir c le Of the u p p er sk y t he abode o f t he ,
Great S p irit C ommonly the visi b le fi rm am e n t is reg arded
.
,
’
a s the roof of man s w orld but it i s also the fl o or of a n a r c h e
,
t y p al heavenly world c ontaining the p attern s o f all t hin g s
,
t ha t exis t in the world below : i t i s from this heaven above t h e
heaven s t ha t t he bein g s des c end who c reate t he visible u ni
verse An d as th ere are world s above so a re t here world s
.
,
benea t h u s ; t he ea rt h is a floor for u s but a roof fo r those ,
P LA T E V I
C h i p p e wa S id e p ou c h o f b l a c k d re ss ed b uc k s k i n
o rnam e nte d w i th re d b l u e an d ye ll ow qu ill-wo r k
, , .
T he two l a rg e b i rd s rep re s ented are T hu nd e rb i rd s .
S p ec i m e n in t he Pe abod y Mu s e um C amb ridg e Ma ss a
, ,
c h u se tt s
. Se e Not e 32 ( p p 2 8 7. a n d c om p a re
Pl at e s Il l XVI and F ig u re 1
, ,
.
24 N O RTH AM E R I CAN M YT H O LO G Y
VI . THE P OW E R S A B OVE
Even g rea t er t h an t he Wind Giant i s the Thu nderer ,
32
whom t he I roquois deemed t o be the g u ardian of the Heavens ,
a rmed w i t h a mi g hty bow and flamin g a rrows hater and de ,
s t royer of all t hin g s noxiou s and es p e c ially to be revered a s
,
havin g slain t he g rea t Serp ent of the waters whi c h was de ,
’
v o u ring mankind H ino i s the Thu nderer s name and h i s
.
,
b ride is the R ainbow ; he h as m any assistants the lesser Thu n ,
d e re rs and amon g them the boy G u n n o do y ah who was on c e
, ,
a mortal Hino c au g ht thi s youth u p i nto hi s domain a rmed
.
,
him with a c elestial bow and sent him to en c ou nter the great
,
Serp ent ; but the Serp ent devou red G u nno do y ah who co m ,
m u n ic at e d his p light to H ino i n a d ream whereu p on th e ,
Thunderer and hi s warriors S lew the Ser p ent and bore G u nno
doyah still livin g b a c k to the S kies Commonly the Thu n
, ,
.
derer is a friend to man ; but men mu st not en c roa c h u p on h i s
“
domain The C herokee tell a tale o f the Man who married
.
” 17
the Thunder s s ister ’
lu red by the maiden to the Thu nder s ’
c ave he is there su rrou nded by sha p e-shifting horrors an d
, ,
w h en he de c lines to mou nt a serp ent-steed saddled with a
livin g tu rtle Thu nder g rows an g ry li g htnin g fl ashes from hi s
, ,
eye and a terrifi c c rash stretc hes the you ng b rave senseles s ;
,
when he revives and makes h i s way home thou g h it seems to ,
h i m that he has been gone but a day he d is c overs that hi s ,
p eo p le have long g i ven h i m u p for dead ; and i ndeed after , ,
33
this he su rvives only seven d ays .
O ne o f Hino s assistants i s O sh ad ag e a the great Dew Ea g le
’
, ,
whose lod g e is in the western s k y and who c a rries a lake of dew
in the hollow o f his ba c k When the malevolent Fi re S p i rits
.
’
are des t royin g E a rth s verdu re O shadag ea flies ab road an d , ,
from his s p reading win g s falls the healin g moistu re The Dew .
E a g le O f the I roquois is p rob ably only the g host O f a Thu nder
bird s p iri t whi c h has been re p l a c ed among them by Hino the
, , ,
Heavenly A r c her The Thu nderb ird i s a n i nv i sible s p irit ; the
.
THE F O RE S T T R I B E S 25
li g htnin g i s the fl ashin g of his eye ; t he t hu nder i s the noi se of
his win g s He i s su rrou nded by assistants the les ser Thunder
.
,
ers es p e c ially b i rd s of the hawk—kind and of the ea g le-kind ;
,
K e ne u the Golden Ea g le i s h i s c hief re p resentative
, ,
I f it .
were not for the Thunderers the I ndians s ay the earth wou l d , ,
be c ome p a rc hed and the g rass wou ld wither and die Fé re .
L e Jeu ne tell s how when a new alta r-p ie c e wa s installed i n
,
“
the Monta g nais m is sion the I nd ians seein g the Holy S p i rit
, ,
p i c tu red a s a dove su rrou nded by rays of li g ht as ked if the ,
b i rd wa s not the thu nder ; for they believe that the thu nder i s
a bi rd ; and when they see beautifu l p lumes they ask if they ,
”
a re not the feathers o f the thu nder .
Th e domain above the c lou d s is the heaven o f the Su n an d
the Moon and the Sta rs The Su n is a man-bein g the Moon a
.
,
woman -bein g ; sometimes they a re b rother and s i ster some ,
times ma n and wife 13
The Monta g nai s told P e re L e Jeu n e
.
that the Moon a p p eared to b e d a rk at times be c au se S he hel d
“
her so n in her arms : If the Moon has a so n S he i s m arried
‘
, ,
’ ‘
o r has been ! O h yes the Su n i s her hu sb and who wal ks al l
, , ,
d ay and she al l ni g ht ; and if he be e c li p sed o r d arkened i t i s
, ,
be c au se he also sometimes takes the so n whi c h he h a s had by
’ ‘
the Moon i nto his a rms Y es but neither the Su n no r the
.
,
’ ‘
Moon h as any a rms Thou hast no sense ; they always hol d
.
thei r d rawn bows before them and that is why thei r a rm s do ,
not A nother A l g onqu ian tribe the Menominee , ,
tel l how the Su n armed with bow and a rrows de p a rted for
, ,
a hu nt ; his sister the Moon ala rmed by h is lon g ab sen c e
, , ,
went in sear c h of him an d travelled twenty days before sh e
,
fou nd him Ever s in c e then the Moon h as m ade twen t y-d ay
.
j ou rneys th rou g h the sk y The I roquoi s s ay th at the Su n
.
,
A d e k ag agwa a rests i n the southern s kies du r i n g the winter
, ,
“ ”
leavin g hi s slee p S p i rit to kee p watc h in his stead O n the .
eve o f hi s de p artu re he ad d resses the E a rth p romis i ng hi s
, ,
“
retu rn : E arth Great Mother hold ing you r c hild ren c lose
, ,
to you r b reast hea r my p ower !
,
I am Ad e k ag ag waa !
26 NO RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO GY
I rei g n and I ru le all you r lives ! My field is b road wh ere
,
swif t c loud s ra c e and c hase and c limb and c u rl and fall
, , , ,
in rains to you r rivers and streams My shield is vast and c o v
.
ers you r land with its yellow shine o r bu rns it b rown with ,
my hu r ryin g fl ame My eyes are wide and sear c h everywhere
.
, .
My arrows are qu i c k when I dip them in dews that nou r i s h
and b reathe My a rmy i s strong when I slee p it wat c hes my
.
,
field s When I c ome a g ain my wa rriors will battle throu g hou t
.
the skies ; G a-O h will lo c k his fierc e wind s ; Heno will soften
his voi c e ; G o ho ne [Winter] will fly a nd tem p ests will wa r ,
”
no more !
The I ndians know the p oetry Of the sta rs 14
I t is o d d to find .
the I roquois tellin g the story o f the c elesti al bear p re c isely ,
a s it is told by the E s kimo o f northern G reenland : ho w a
g rou p o f hu nters with their
,
faithfu l d o g led onward by the ,
ex c itement o f the c ha se p u rsued the g reat beast h i g h into the
,
heavens and there be c ame fixed a s the p olar c onstell ation
,
( U rsa Maj or) I n the story o f the hu nter an d the S ky E l k
.
the sent im ent o f love min g les with the p a ssion o f the c ha se .
“
So so n do wa h ( Great the hu nter p u rsued the S ky ,
Elk whi c h had wandered down to E arth fa r u p into the
, ,
heaven whi c h is above the heaven of the Sun There D awn .
made him her c a p tive and set h im a s wat c hman before the
,
door of her lod g e L ookin g down he behel d and loved a
.
,
mortal maiden ; in the s p rin g he des c ended to her u nder the
form o f a b luebird ; in the summer he wooed her u nder the
sembl an c e o f a bl a c kb i rd ; in the autumn u nder the g u ise o f a ,
g iant ni g hthawk he bore her to the s kies B ut D awn an g ered
, .
,
a t hi s del ay bound h i m before her door and transformin g
, ,
the maiden into a sta r set her above hi s forehead where he ,
mu s t lon g for her throu g hout all time without attainin g her .
The name o f the star—maiden whi c h i s the Mornin g Star i s
, ,
“ ”
G e n d e nwit h a I t B ri n g s the D ay
,
The Pleiades a re c alled
.
-
the D an c in g Stars They were a g rou p o f b rothers who were
.
awakened in the ni g ht by s in g in g voi c es to whi c h they began ,
P LA T E V I I
S e c ret s o c i ety ma s k o f t he S e n e c a T he G re at
.
W i nd Ma s k a m e d ic i ne o r do c to r ma s k u sed in t he
,
”
,
c e re mo n i e s o f t he Fa ls e Fa c e C om p a ny .T h is s o c i ety
is sa id to ha ve o rig i nated with t he Sto ne G iants who ,
are re re s e nt e d in o n e o f t he m a s k s u s e d Re p ro
p .
du c e d by c ou rt e sy o f Arthu r C Pa rk e r A rc hae o l o g is t
.
,
o f t he N e w Y o rk State Mu seu m . See Note 6 5
( p p .
3 0 9 a n d c om p a re F r o nt is p ie c e a n d Pl at e s
IV XXV XXXI
, , .
28 NO RT H A M E R I CAN M YT H O LO G Y
by a mortal hero : from his grave s p r i ngs the g i ft o f maize .
O ther food p lants su c h as the bean and the p u m p kin a s
, ,
well as wild p lants and the variou s s p e c ies o f trees have thei r ,
several s p irits or Manitos ; indeed the world i s alive with
, ,
c oun t less mysteries o f every strength and size
,
and the for ,
’
e st is all thron g ed with armies of P u k wu dj i e s the I nd ian s ,
“
fairy folk 36
. Du rin g a shower o f rain thou sand s o f them are
shel t ered in a flower The Oj ibwa a s he re c lines beneath the
.
,
s hade o f his forest trees ima g ines these g ods to be ab o u t
,
’
him He dete c t s their tiny voi c es in the inse c t s hu m With
. .
half-c losed eyes he behold s them s p ortin g by thou sand s on a
”
s u n-ray .
The I roquois re c ogn i ze three tribes o f Jo g ao h o r Dwa rf ,
Peop le : the G aho ng a o f the ro c ks an d rivers whom the I n
, ,
“ ”
d ians c all Stone Throwers be c au se of thei r great stren g th
a nd their fondnes s fo r p laying with stones a s with ball s ; the 27
G an d ay ah who have a c are for the fru itfu lness not only of
,
“ ”
the land for they fashion dew c u p c h arm s whi c h attra c t
the g rains and fru its and c au se them to s p rout but also ,
-
o f the water where they release c a p tive fi sh from the tra p
,
when the fi shermen too ra p a c iou sly p u rsu e ; and the O hdo was ,
o r u nderg round p eo p le The u nde rworld where the O h do wa s
.
l ive is a dim and sunles s realm c ontainin g forests and p lains ,
l i ke the earth o f man p eop led with many animal s all o f whi c h
,
—
a re ever desirou s to as c end to the su nny realm above I t is .
the tas k o f the O hdo wa s to kee p the se u nderworld c reatu res
i n thei r p ro p er p la c e es p e c ially sin c e many of them are venom
,
o u s and noxiou s beasts ; and thou h the O hdo was are small
g ,
they a re stu rdy and b rave and fo r the most p art kee p the mon
,
strou s bein g s i m p risoned ; rarely do the l atter b reak th rou g h
to devastate and defile the world above AS there are u nder .
earth p eo p le so a re there underwater p eO p le who like the
,
9
,
F ire Peop le of the Eskimo a re divided into t wo tribes o ne
—
, ,
hel p ful o ne hurtfu l to man These u nde rwater bein g s a re
, .
human in form and have hou ses l ike those of men beneath
, , ,
TH E F O R E S T T R I B E S 29
’
the waters ; but they d ress in snake s s kin s and wea r horns .
Sometimes thei r beautiful d au g h t ers lu re mortal men down
i nto the de p t hs to don t he snake-s kin c ostume and to be lost
,
to thei r kin dred forever .
’
O f mons t rous bein g s inhab itin g p artly the ea rth s su rfa c e
, ,
p a rtly the u nderworld the I roquois
,
re c o g nize in p ar t i c ula r
t he ra c e o f Great Heads 37
and the ra c e of Stone Gian t s .
The Great Head s a re g ifted wi t h p enetra t in g eyes and p rovided
with abu ndan t hai r whi c h serves t hem as win g s ; they ride on
the tem p est and in thei r des t ru c tive and malevolent p owers
,
seem to be p e rso n ifi c a t io n s of the storm p erha p s o f the tornado
, .
I n one tale whi c h may be the de t ritu s of an an c ient and c ru de
,
c osmo g ony the Great Head Obviou sly p lays the r dle of a
,
demiu rg e ; and a c u riou s story tells o f the destru c tion of one
o f the tribe whi c h p u rsued a you n g woman into her lod g e an d
s ee in g her p arc hin g c hestnuts c on c lu ded that c oals of fi re were
g o o d to eat ; p a rta kin g o f the c oals it d ied These b iza rre ,
.
c reatu res are well c al c u l ated to s p i c e a tale with terrors .
The I roquoian Stone Giants 38
as well as thei r c on g eners
,
a mon g the A l g onqu ian s ( e g the C h e n o o of the A bn aki and
. .
Mi c ma c ) be lon g to a wide—s p rea d grou p o f mythi c bein g s O f
,
whi c h the E s k i mo Tornit are exam p les They a re p owerfu l .
m a g i c ians hu g e in statu re u na c qu ainted with the bow an d
, , ,
em p loyin g stones for wea p ons I n awesome c omb ats they fi g ht
.
o n e another u p rootin g the tallest trees for wea p ons and rend
,
i ng the ea rth in their fu ry O c c asionally they are tamed by
.
,
men and a s they are mighty hunters they be c ome u sefu l
, ,
friends C ommonly they a re de p i c ted as c annib al s ; and it m ay
.
well be that this fa r-remembered mythi c p eop le i s a re m inis
c en c e ,
c olou red by time Of b a c kwa rd tribes u na c qu ainted
, ,
with the bow and long s in c e destroyed by the I ndians o f his
,
tori c times 2
O f c ou rse if there be su c h an histori c element in
.
,
these myths it is c olou red and overlaid by wholly mythi c c o n
,
c e p t io n s of stone-a rmou red Titans or demiu r es ( s e e C h I I I
g .
,
i ii )
,
.
30 N O R TH A M E R I CA N M YT H O L O G Y
VIII . THE EL D E R S O F THE K I ND S 40
The O nonda g a story o f the beg innin g s of thin g s c loses with
these word s : Moreover it is verily thu s with all thin g s
,
t ha t are c ontained in t he ea rth here p resent that they sev ,
e ra lly retra n sform o r ex c han g e their bod ies I t is thu s with al l .
thin g s t ha t s p rout and g row and in the next p la c e with all
, , ,
thin g s that p rodu c e themselves and g row and in the next , ,
p la ce
,
all the man -bein s
g A ll these
. a re a ffe c t ed in the s ame
manner that they severally transform thei r bodies and in
, , ,
the next p la c e that t hey retransform their bod ies severally
, , ,
”
without c essation ( Hewitt 21 A RB E p p 2 19 , ,
.
Sava g es an d p erha p s all p eop le who live nea r to Natu re a re
, ,
fi rst and inevitably He ra c lit e a n s : for them as for the Greek ,
p hiloso p her all
,
thin g s flow the sensible world
,
i s a world of
p er p etu al mutation ; bodies animate and inanimate a re but
, ,
tem p orary manifestation s outwa rd shadows o f the mu lti
—
tude of sha p e-shiftin g Powers whi c h g overn the s p e c ta c le from
behind the s c ene Y et even the s ava g e c ons c iou s a s he is of
.
,
the im p ermanen c y of sensible thin g s dete c ts c ertain c onstant ,
forms p ersistently rea p p earin g thou g h in variou s individu al
, ,
embodiments These forms a re the natu ral kinds
. the kin
d red s o r s p e c ies into whi c h Natu re is d ivided ; they a re the
I dea s o f thin g s as a greater Greek than Hera c litu s wou l d say ;
,
and the I ndians all develo p into Pl atonists for they hol d that ,
ea c h natu ral kind has its a r c hetyp e or E lder ( a s they p refer)
, ,
dwellin g in an invisible worl d and su stainin g the tem p ora ry
l ives o f all its ea rthly c op ies by the strength Of its p rimal
bein g.
Th e c hanging seasons them selves — whi c h for all p eo p les ,
beyond the tro p i c s a re the g reat fa c ts g overnin g the whole
,
strateg y o f life be c ome fixed in a kind of c on stan c y and
—
,
a re eventu ally p ersonified into su c h beings a s we still fa n c i
fully form for S p r i ng and Summer and Winter and Autumn 39
.
To be su re the seasons are not so many for p eop les whose su s
,
PLA T E VI I I
Iroquo is d raw i ng o f a G re at Head a typ e O f
—
bodil e ss m a n e at i ng mo nste r ( se e Not e 37 pp 29 0
,
-
, .
T he p i ctu re re p rodu c e d from S c hoo l c ra ft
, ,
T ibes p a rt i Pl at e L XX II is a n ill u st rat i o n o f t h e
r , , ,
sto ry o f t he outw itti n g o f t he G re at He ad by an In
di a n woman a sto ry c ommo n to ma ny o f t he Ea st e rn
,
t ri b e s ( see p
.
32 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
an elder b ro t her who is as i t were the sou r c e and or i g i n o f al l
, , ,
individuals and this elder b ro t her is wonderfully g reat and
,
owerful T h e elder of the B eaver t hey tell me is p erha p s as
p . , ,
l arg e a s ou r c abin althou g h his Junior ( I mean the ordinary
,
Beaver) i s not quite a s larg e as ou r s hee p I f anyone .
,
w hen aslee p sees the elder or p rog eni t or Of some animals he
, ,
will have a fortunate c hase ; if he sees the elder o f the B eavers ,
he will t ake Beavers ; if he sees the elder O f t he El ks he will ,
take El ks p ossessin g the j u niors th rou g h the favor of thei r
,
senior whom he has seen in the d ream I a sked them where .
‘ ’
t h ese elder b rothers were We a re not su re they answered me
.
, ,
‘
bu t we think the elders Of the birds a re in the s ky and that ,
’
the elders of the other animals a re in the water I n another .
c onnexion the Father tell s the followin g story whi c h he h ad ,
“
from a Monta g nais : A man h avin g traveled a lon g d istan c e , ,
a t last rea c hed the C abin o r hou se o f God a s he named him ,
who g ave him somethin g to eat A ll kind s of animal s .
su rround him [the g o d] he tou c hes them handles them as he
, ,
wishes and they do not fly from him ; but he does them no
,
harm for as he does not eat he does not k i l l them However
, , , .
,
he asked thi s new g uest what he woul d like to eat and havin g ,
learned that he wou ld rel i sh a beaver he c au g ht o n e withou t ,
any trouble and had him eat it ; then a s ked him when he in
,
‘ ’ ‘ ’
tended g oin g away I n two ni g hts was the answer Good
.
,
.
,
‘ ’
said he you will rem ain two ni g hts with me These two
,
.
ni g h t s were two yea rs ; for what we c all a yea r i s only a d ay or
a ni g ht in the re c konin g o f him who p ro c u res u s food A nd .
o n e is so c ontented with him that two winters o r two yea rs
, ,
seem only like two ni g hts When he retu rned to his own c ou n
.
”
t ry he w a s g rea t ly astonished at the delay he h ad ex p erien c ed .
The g o d o f the c abin is no doubt Me sso u ( Manabozho) , , ,
“
t he Al g onquian demiu rg e for he i s elder b rother to al l ,
beasts and the ruler of animal life S i mil arly the I roquoian .
,
demiu rg e Io u s k e ha is the b rin g er and n amer of the p rimal
animals : They believe that animal s were not at liberty from
THE FO RE S T T R I B E S 33
the be g i nn i ng of the worl d but that they were s hut u p i n a
,
g reat c avern where Io u sk e ha gu arded them Perha p s there
.
m ay be in that some allusion to the fa c t that God b rou g ht all
”
the animal s to A d am add s Pé re B réb e u f ; and i n the Sene c a
,
version o f the I roquoian g enesis the youth who b rin g s the
,
a nimal s from the c avern of the Winds does ,
in fa c t p erform
,
the O ffi c e of A dam g iving them thei r several n ames
,
.
41
CHAPT ER III
TH E F O R E S T T R IB E S
( Co nti nu ed)
I . I RO QU O I AN CO S M OG ONY 15
HE O nonda g a version the g enesis -myt h o f the I ro
o f
q u o is as re c
,
orded by H ewitt be g in s in this fashion ,
He who w as my g randfather wa s wont to relate th at ,
verily he h ad heard the leg end a s it wa s c u stoma rily tol d by
,
five g enerations o f g rands i res and this i s what he himself wa s ,
in the habit o f tellin g He c u stom arily s aid : Man-bein g s dwel l
.
in the s k y o n the fa rther side o f the visible s k y The lod g es
, .
they severally p os sess are c u stomarily long [the I roquoian
“
lon g hou se o r lodge] I n the en d of the l o d ges there a re
,
.
s p read o u t stri p s o f rough bark whereon lie the several mats .
There it is that verily all p as s the n i g ht E a rly in the mornin g
, , .
the wa rriors a re in the hab it o f g oin g to hu nt and a s i s thei r ,
”
c u stom they retu rn every evenin
, g .
This heaven a b ove the vi sible heavens whi c h h as existed ,
from eternity i s the p rototy p e o f the worl d in whi c h we
,
dwell ; and in it i s se t the fi rst ac t o f the c osmi c d rama Sorrow .
and death were u nknown there ; it w as a l and of tranqu il abu n
d an c e It c ame to p a s s that a g i rl-c hild was bo rn o f a c elestia l
.
m aid her father h avin g s i c kened an d d ied
, the fi rst death
i n t h e u niverse shortly before sh e was bo rn He h ad been .
p la c ed a s he h ad dire c ted o n a bu rial s c a ff old by the A n c ient
, ,
Bodied O ne g randmother to the c hild ; and thither the g i rl
,
c hild was a c c u stomed t o o and c onverse with the dead p a rent
g .
When she was g rown he di re c ted her to take a c e rtain j ou rney
,
th rou g h t he heaven realm o f C hief He-Hold s -the-Ea rth whom ,
THE F O R E S T T R I B E S 35
she wa s to ma rry and bes id e whose lod g e g rew the g reat
,
heaven The m aiden c ros ses a river o n a m a p le-lo g ,
avoid s variou s tem p ters and a rrives at the lod g e where the
, ,
c hief subj e c ts he r to the ordeal s o f stirrin g s c ald i n g mu s h
whi c h s p atters u p on her n aked body and o f h avin g her bu rn s
l i c ked by ras p -ton g ued dog s H avin g su c c es sfully endu red
.
these p ains he send s her af t er th ree ni g hts to her own p eo p le
, , , ,
with the g ift o f m aize and ven ison S he retu rn s to her c hief
.
,
and he observin g that she i s p re g nant be c omes ill with an
, ,
u nj u stified j ealou sy o f the F ire-D ra g on S he g ives b i rth to .
a d au g hter Gu sts -o f-Wind ; whereu p on the c hief re c eives
,
visits from the E lders o f the Kind s wh i c h dwel l i n heaven , ,
amon g them bein g the Deer the B ea r the B eaver ; Wind
, , ,
D ayli g ht Ni g ht Star ; the S qu ash the Maize the B ean ; the
, , , ,
Tu rtle the O tter the Y ellowhammer ; Fire Water Medi c ine
, , , , ,
p attern s of the whole fu rnitu re of c reation A u rora B oreal i s .
d ivines wh at i s troublin g h i s mind an d su gg ests the u p rootin g
,
o f the heaven tree Th is i s done an d an abys s i s d is c losed
.
, ,
“
lookin g down i nto a c haos o f Wind an d Thi c k Ni g ht the
”
a s p e c t wa s g reen and nothin g el s e in c olor s ays the Sene c a ,
version Th rou g h thi s o p enin g the C hief o f Heaven c asts hi s
.
s p ou se and the c hild who retu rn s a g ain into the body o f her
,
mother fi rst p rovid in g her with maize and ven ison and a fag
,
g o t o f wood while
,
the F ire -D ra on wra
g p s a rou n d her a g reat
ray o f li g h t .
Here end s the U p p er Worl d ac t o f the d rama The n ame .
O f the woman -bein g who i s c ast down from heaven i s a s we ,
know from the Jesu it Rela tio n s A taentsi c or At ae nsic who
,
43
,
i s to be c ome the g reat E a rth Mother Th e C hief o f Heaven .
i s her s p ou se s o that these two g reat a c tors in the worl d
,
—
d rama a re E arth an d S ky res p e ct i vely ; while the i r fi rst -born
i s the B reath -o f-L ife .
The se c ond ac t o f the d ram a i s se t in the World Below .
The O nondaga myth c ontinu es :
“
So now verily her body c ontinued to fall He r body was
, ,
.
36 N O RTH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
fallin g some time before i t emerg ed Now she was su rp r i sed .
,
seemin g ly tha t there was light below o f a blue c olor She
, ,
.
looked and there seemed to be a la ke at the s p ot towa rd whi c h
s he w a s falling There was nowhere any ea rth There she saw
.
.
many du c ks on the lake where they be i n g waterfowl o f a ll ,
their kinds floated severally about W i thout i nterru p tion t he
,
.
body o f the woman -being c ont i nu ed to fall .
“
Now at that t i me the waterfowl c alled the L oon shouted ,
say i n g : D O ye look a woman -being is c om i ng in the dep ths of
‘
,
t he water her body is floatin g u p hither They said : V er i ly
,
’
.
‘
,
it is even
“
Now in a S hort t i me the waterfowl c al led B i ttern sa i d
‘
I t is tru e that ye believe that her body i s floatin g u p from t he
’
de p ths o f the water D O ye however look u p wa rd All
.
, ,
.
looked u p and all s aid : V erily it is t ru e
,
‘
,
.
’
“ ‘
O ne Of the p ersons said : I t seem s then that there mu s t , ,
’
be l and i n the de p ths of the water A t that t i me the L oon .
s a i d : Moreover let u s fi rst seek to fin d some o ne who w i l l
‘
,
be able to bear the ea rth o n hi s ba c k by means o f the forehea d
” 3
p a c k stra p .
A ll the an i mal s volunteer O tter and Tu rtle attem p t t he
.
feat and fa i l ; the Mu skrat su cc eed s p l a c i ng the so i l b ro ugh t ,
u p from below o n the b a c k of the Tu rtle Now at th i s t i m e .
the c ara p a c e beg an to g row and the ea rth w i th wh i c h they
”
had c overed i t be c ame the Solid L and U p on th i s lan d .
A taents i c alights her fall be i ng b roken by the w i ngs o f t he
,
fowl whi c h fly u p ward to meet her “ .
O n the g row i n g Earth Gu sts -o f—W i nd i s reborn and c ome s ,
to matu r i ty She re c e i ves the visits of a no c tu rnal stran g er
.
,
who is none other than the ru ler O f the w i nd s and g i ves b i rt h ,
to twins 44
Sa p l ing and F lint the Y o sk e ha and Tawisc ara
,
o f the Rela tio ns
45 —
who S how the i r enm i ty by a p re-n ata l
’
qu arrel and c au se the i r mother s death i n bein g born F rom
, .
the body of her d au g hter A taents i c fash i ons the su n and t he
moon thou g h she does not raise them to the heavens S a p lin g
, .
THE FO R E S T T R I B E S 37
s he casts o u t for Flint fal sely p ersu ades her that it i s S a p lin g
,
’
who i s res p on sible for thei r mother s death .
The thi rd ac t o f t he d ram a de t ails the c reative a c ts o f Sa p
lin g and Flint and their enmities Sa p l i n g ( be tter known a s
,
.
Y o sk e h a thou g h his most an c ient title seem s t o be Teh a
,
ro n h iaw ago n He-Hold s -the-Sky ) is the demiu rg e and ea r t h
,
S ha p er and the s p irit of life and summer Flint or Tawisc ara
,
.
, ,
i s an im itator and tri c ks t er ma ker o f m alevolent bein g s and
, ,
s p i rit o f wintry for c es but the favou rite o f A taentsi c
,
38
.
The ac t op ens wi t h the visit of S a p lin g to hi s father the ,
W i nd -R u ler who g ives him p resents o f bow and a rrows and
,
o f m aize symbolizin g maste ry over animal and ve g etable food
,
.
The p re p a ration o f the maize is his fi rst feat Ataentsi c ren ,
“
dering hi s work im p erfe c t by c astin g ashes u p on it : The way
” “
in whi c h thou hast done this is not good s ays Sa p lin g for , ,
I desi re that the m an-bein g s S hall be ex c eed in g ly h a p p y who ,
”
a re about to dwell here o n this ea rth Next he b rings forth .
the sou ls o f the animal kinds and mou lds the traits of the d if
,
fere nt an i m als 41
Flint however im p rison s them in a c avern
.
, , ,
and although S a p ling su c c eeds in releas i ng most of them some
, ,
rem ain beh i nd to be c ome tran sform ed into the noxiou s c rea
tu res o f the u nde rworld A fte rwa rd in a trial o f stren g th
.
, ,
S a p l i ng overc omes the hu m p b a c k Hadu i who is the c au se Of ,
d i sease and de c re p itu de but from whom S a p lin g win s the
,
se c ret of medi c i ne and o f the c eremonial u se of toba c c o The .
g i v i n g o f the i r c ou rses to the Su n and the Moon fashioned ,
’
from h i s mother s head and body by A taentsi c was h is next ,
deed The grandmother and Flint had c on c ealed these bod ies
13
.
and had left the ea rth i n d arknes s ; S a p lin g aided by fou r ani ,
m als ty p ifying the Fou r Qu a rters steal s b a c k the Su n whi c h
, , ,
is p as sed from an i m al to animal ( as in the Greek tor c h -ra c e in
honou r o f Selene ) when they a re p u rsu ed by A taentsi c an d
F l i nt The c reation of man whi c h Fl i nt i m i tates only t o p ro
.
,
du c e mon sters and the b anishment o f F l i nt to the u nder
,
world c om p lete the c reative d rama .
38 N O RTH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
Moreover i t is s aid that t his S a p lin g i n the manner in
, ,
whi c h he has life h as this t o befal l him re c u rrently that he
, ,
be c omes old in body and that when in fa c t his body be c omes
, , ,
an c ien t normally he then retransfo rms hi s body in su c h wise
,
t hat he be c omes a new man-bein g a g ai n and a g ain re c overs
his youth so t ha t one wou ld thin k that he had j u st g rown to
,
the size whi c h a man-bein g c u stomarily ha s when he rea c hes
the you t h O f man-bein g s a s m anifested by the c han g e o f voi c e
,
a t p uberty Moreover it i s so that c ontinuou sly the orend a
.
,
immanent in his body the orend a with whi c h he su ff u ses
—
his p erson the orend a whi c h he p roj e c ts o r exhibits th rou g h
, ,
w hi c h he is p os sessed of for c e an d p oten c y is ever fu ll u m ,
diminished and all-su ffic ient ; and i n the next p la c e nothin g
, , ,
that is otkon or deadly nor in the next p la c e even the G reat
, , ,
Destroyer otkon in itself and fa c eles s h as any e ffe c t o n him
, , ,
he bein g p erfe c tly immu ne to its orend a ; and in the next p l a c e , ,
there is nothin g that c a n b a r his way o r veil hi s fa c u lties 46
I n the Rela tio n Of 16 36 B réb e u f s ays Of the Hu ron s : I f
t hey se e thei r fields verd ant in the s p rin g if they rea p g ood ,
and abund ant ha rvests and if thei r c ab in s a re c rammed with
,
ears o f c orn they owe it to Io u s k e ha I do not know what God
,
.
has in store for u s this yea r ; but Io u s k e h a it is re p orted ,
h a s been seen qu ite dej e c ted and th i n a s a s keleton with a , ,
” 35
p oor ear of c orn in his hand .
II . AL G ONQU I AN C O S MOG O N Y 15
As c om p ared with the I roquoian c osmog ony that o f the ,
Al g onqu ian t ribes is nebu lou s and c onfu sed : thei r g od s a re
less an t hro p omorp hi c more p rone to anima l form ; the order
,
Of even t s is not so c lea rly defined There is ha rdly a p erson .
a g e O r event in the I roquoian story th at does not a ear in
pp
A l g onquian myth and indeed the A l g onqui an s wou ld seem
,
to have been the ori g inators or at least the ea rlier p os sessors , ,
o f t hese stories
; ye t t h e s ame p ower for org anization whi c h
PLAT E I X
Iroquo is d raw i ng o f Sto ne G i a nts A fte r S c hoo l
.
c ra ft
,
India n Tr ibes p a rt i Pl at e L X XII I
, , . T he
Sto n e G i a nt s are re l ate d to s u c h c o s mo go n i c a l b e i ngs
a s F li nt T a n d C h ak e k e n a o k 6
( aw isc a ra
) p ( s ee
pp 3
.
,
T h ey are g e n e ra lly ma l e v o l e nt in c ha ra c t er .
Se e Not e 38 ( pp 29 1.
40 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
E a rth is t he mo t her o f Man ab u sh who is al so the Fi re The
,
,
.
Flint g rew u p ou t Of Nokomis and was alone Then the Flint,
.
made a bo w l and di p p ed it into the ea rth ; slowly the bowlfu l
o f ear t h be c ame blood and it beg an to c han g e it s form SO
,
.
t he blood was c han g ed into Wab u s the R abbit The R abb it ,
.
g
rew into human form and in ,
t ime be c ame a man a nd thu s ,
was Man ab u s h formed ”
Ac c ord in g to another version the
.
,
d au g h t er o f Nokomis g ave birth t o twins o n e o f whom died , ,
a s did t he mother Nokomis p la c ed a wooden bowl ( and we
.
mu st remember that t his is a symbol o f the heavens ) over the
remainin g c hild for its p rote c tion ; u p on removin g the bowl ,
“
s he beheld a white rabb it with qu iverin g ears : O my dea r
little R abbi t s he c ried my Ma n abu sh !
”
,
“
,
”
O ther t ribes tell how the G reat H a re c ame to earth a s a g ift
from the Great S p i rit Th e C hi p p ewa re c og nize hi g h over
.
,
all K it shi Manito the G reat S p i rit and next in ran k D z he
, , ,
Manito the Good S p ir i t whose servant i s Manabozho The
, ,
.
abode o f all these i s the Up p er Worl d “
When Min abo z ho .
,
the servant o f D z he Manido looked down u p on the earth h e
,
beheld human beings the An ishin ab eg the an c estors o f the
, ,
Oj ibwa They o cc u p ied the fou r qu a rters o f the earth
.
the northeast the southeast the southwest and the north
, , ,
west He saw how hel p les s they were and des irin g to g ive
.
,
them t he means Of wardin g o ff the d iseases with whi c h
t hey were c onstantly a ffl i c ted and to p rovide them with ,
animal s and p lants to serve as food Min ab o z ho remained ,
thou g htfully hoverin g over the c enter o f the earth endeavor ,
”
ing to devise some means o f c ommu ni c atin g with them Be .
nea t h Min abo z ho was a lake o f waters wherein he behel d an ,
Ot ter whi c h a p p eared at ea c h o f the c a rdin al p oints i n s u c
,
c ession and then a
p p roa c hed the c entre where Min ab o z ho de ,
s c ended ( u p on an island ) to meet i t and where he instru c t ed it
i n t he mysteries O f the Midewiwin the sa c red Med i c ine So c ie t y
,
.
Ac c ordin g to the Potawatomi also the Great Hare a p p ears
, ,
a s the founder o f a s a c red mys t ery and the g iver o f medi c i ne .
THE F O R E ST T R I B E S 41
The story is re c orded by Father De Smet : man i tou A g reat
c ame o n earth and c hose a wife from amon g the c h ild ren o f
,
men He had fou r sons at a bi rth ; the fi r st -born was c alled
.
N a n a b o o j o o the friend o f the hu man ra c e the mediator b e
, ,
tween man and the Great S p irit ; the se c ond w as named
C hip iap o o s the man of the dead who p resides over the c ou n
, ,
try Of the sou ls ; the thi rd Wab asso as soon a s he saw the
, ,
l i g ht fled towa rd t he north where he was c han g ed into a wh ite
,
rabb it and u nder that name is c onsidered there a s a g reat
,
m anitou ; the fou rth wa s Cha k e k e n a p o k the man of fl int o r , ,
fi re-stone I n c omin g into the world he c au sed the death o f
.
h is mother The tale g oes o n to t ell the deed s o f N a n ab o o j o o
. .
T aven e his mother he u rsues C h a k e k e n a p o k and S lays
( 1 ) O g p
“
him : all fra g ments b roken from the body o f this m an o f
stone then g rew u p into la rg e ro c ks ; his entrails were c han g ed
i nto vines o f eve ry s p e c ies and took dee p root in al l the for
,
ests ; the fl int st o n e s s c attered arou nd the ea rth indi c ate where
” 38
the d ifferent c ombats took p l a c e ( 2) Chip iap o o s th e
.
,
beloved b rother o f N an abo o j o o ventu rin g o ne d ay u p on th e
,
ic e was d ra gg ed to the bottom by m ali g n ant manitos where
, ,
u p on N a n ab o o j o o hu rled mu ltitu des of these bein g s into the
dee p est abys s F o r s ix yea rs he mou rned Ch ip iap o o s but at
.
,
the end o f that time fou r o f the Oldest and wisest o f the mani
“
t o s by their med i c ine healed him o f his g rief
, ,
The mani .
tou s b rou g ht b a c k the lost C hip iap o o s but it wa s forbidden ,
h im to enter the lod g e ; he re c eived th rou g h a c hink a bu rnin g, ,
c oal ,
and was ordered to g o and p reside over the reg ion o f
sou ls and there for the ha p p ines s of his u n c les and au nts
, , ,
that is for al l men and women who shou ld re p ai r thither
, , ,
”
kindle with this c oal a fi re whi c h S hou ld never be extin g u ished .
N an ab o o j o o then in i tiated all his family into the mysteries
o f the medi c ine whi c h the manitos h ad b rou g ht ( 3) A fter .
ward N a n ab o o j o o c reated the animals p u t the ea rth roots , , ,
and herb s in c ha rg e o f his g randmother and p la c ed at the fou r ,
c ard i nal p oints the s p i rits that c ontrol the seasons and the
42 N O RTH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
heavenly bodies while in t he c loud s he set the Thu nderb i rd s
, ,
31
his in t ermed iaries .
III . THE D ELUG E 49
The se c ond o these e p isodes Of the Potawatom i leg end i n
f ,
its more univers al form is the tale iden t ified by the Jesu it
,
Fa t hers a s a reminis c en c e o f the B ib li c al Delu g e I n h is .
Rela tio n o f 16 33 L e Jeu ne g ives the Monta g nais version
,
They say that t here is o n e n amed Me sso u who restored
“
,
the world when i t was lost in the waters This Mes so u .
,
oin huntin with lynxes instead o f do g s wa s wa rned that it
g g g , ,
would be dan g erou s fo r his lynxes ( whi c h he c alled his b ro t hers )
in a c ertain lake nea r the p la c e where he wa s O ne d ay a s .
he was hu ntin g an el k his lynxes g ave it c hase even into the
,
l ake ; and when they rea c hed the middle of it they were su b ,
merg ed in an instant When he arrived there and sou g ht hi s
.
b ro t hers everyw here a bi rd told h im th at it h ad seen them at
,
the bottom o f the la ke an d that c ertain animals o r monsters
,
held t hem there ; but i mmediately the l ake o v e rfl o we d an d ,
in c reased S O p rodi g iou sly th at it inu nd ated an d d rowned the
whole earth The Me sso u very mu c h astonished g ave u p al l
.
, ,
thou g ht o f his lynxes to meditate o n c reatin g the world anew
, .
He sen t a raven to find a small p ie c e o f ea rth with whi c h to
bu ild u p another world The raven was u nable to find any
.
,
everythin g bein g c overed with water He made an otter dive .
down but the de p th o f the water p revented it from g oin g to
,
the bottom A t last a mu s krat des c ended and b rou g ht
.
,
b a c k some ea rth With this b it o f ea rth he restored every
.
,
thin g to it s c ondition He remade the trunks o f the trees
.
,
and shot arrows a g ainst them whi c h were c han g ed into ,
b ran c hes I t wou ld be a lon g story to re cou nt how he r e
.
establ ished everythin g ; how he took ven g ean c e o n the mon
st e rs tha t had taken his hunters tran sformin g h i mself i nto a
,
thous and kinds of animal s to c i rc u mvent them I n S hort .
,
44 N O RTH AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
I t i s obviou s t hat in t his c haoti c flood we h ave an I ndian
”
equ ivalent o f th e w aters below the fi rm am e nt in the mid st
“
o f whi c h ,
a cc ordin g to t he Heb rew g enesis the d ry land ,
a p p ea red And the I ndians li ke the Semites c on c eived the
. , ,
world t o be a moun t ain ris in g from the waste o f c osmi c
,
“ ”
wa t ers a nd ar c hed by t he c elestial dome
,
They believe ,
says the au th or of t he Rela tio n o f 16 37 that the earth i s ,
entirely flat and that its end s a re c u t O ff p erp endi c u larly ;
,
tha t soul s g o a w ay to the end whi c h i s at the settin g Su n
and tha t t hey bu il d their c abins u p on the ed g e o f the g reat
re c i i c e whi c h the earth forms at the base o f whi c h there
p p ,
”
i s nothin g but water .
IV . THE S LA Y I NG O F THE D RAG O N 50
The deed s of the Great Ha re in c lu de many c ontests w i th
the g iants c annibals and wit c hes who p eo p le A l g onqu i an
, ,
fol k t ales I n these he dis p lays adep t p owers a s a tri c kster
- .
and master of wile as well as a stout wa rrior The c onfli c t with
,
.
Flint tu rns as in the I roquois tradition u p on a tri c ky d is
, ,
c o v e ry of what substan c e is deadly to the F ire-Stone Man
Flint as ks t he H a re what c a n hu rt h im ; he re p lies the c at s ,
’
tail o r fe at he rdo wn or somethin g o f the sort and in tu rn
, , , ,
p uts the question to Flint who truthfu lly answers ,
the horn ,
”
; and it is with sta g s horn that the H are fra c tu res
’
o f the sta g
and flakes his body a mythi c reminis c en c e we may su p p ose , ,
o f the f -fl a k in
g reat p rimitive indu stry o fl in t g by aid O f a
horn im p lement .
The g reat feat o f the Ha re a s a sl ayer however w a s his , ,
destru c tion o f the monstrou s Fish or Sn ake whi c h o p p res sed
and devou red men and animal s This c reatu re like the Te u .
toni c Grendel was a water monster and ru ler of the Powers o f ,
9
t he Dee p Some t imes a s in the I roquoian m y t h he is a
’
.
, ,
horned ser p en t ; c ommonly amon g the A l g onqu ian s he i s a
, ,
g rea t fi s h the s t u rg eon whi c h swallows Hiawatha The
—
.
P LA T E X
O n o ndag awam p um b e lt b e li e ved to c omm e mo rat e
t he fo r mat i o n o f a l e a u e o ssi b l t he I roquo is C o n
g ( p y
fed e ra c y) o r an e a rly t re aty w i th t he T h i rte e n C o l o n i e s
( th e re are th i rt e e n fi u re s o f m e n
g .
) A ft e r 2 AR B E ,
p . 25 2 .
THE FO RE S T T R I B E S 45
Menominee tell how the p eop le were g reatly d istres sed by
Ma she no m a k the aqu ati c monster who devou red fishermen
,
.
Ma n ab u sh allows himself to be swallowed by the g i g anti c
c rea t u re inside o f whi c h he find s his b rothers the B ea r the
, , ,
Deer the R aven the Pine-Squ i rrel and many o t hers They
, , ,
.
’
all hold a wa r-d an c e in t he monster s m aw an d when Mana ,
bu sh c i r c les p ast t he hea r t he th ru sts his knife into it c au s in g ,
Ma sh e no m a k to have a c onvu lsion ; fin ally he lies motionles s , ,
and Ma n ab u sh c uts his way th rou g h to t he d ay I n another .
version Misik ine b ik the mon ster who h as destroyed t he
, ,
b rother of Ma n ab u sh i s sl ain by the hero in the s ame fashion
, .
The Mi c m a c who l ive beside the se a ma ke the g reat fi sh to
, ,
be a whale who is a servant rather than a foe of Gloos c a p
, ,
a nd u p on whose b a c k he is c arried when he g oes in searc h of
hi s stolen b rother and g randmother The C lams ( su rely tame .
sub stitutes for water demons ! ) sin g to the Whale to d rown
Gloos c a p ; but she fails to u nderstand them and is bea c hed ,
“ ”
throu g h h is tr i c kery A l as my g rand c hild ! she lamented
.
,
“
you have been my death I c an never get out of this . .
“
Never you mind N o o g u m e e s aid Gloos c a p
,
I ll se t you
, ,
’
”
ri g ht
. A nd with a p u s h he sends her far out to se a I t i s .
evident that the le g en d ha s p as sed throu g h a lon g des c ent !
I n his wa r a g ainst the u nderwater m anitos the as sistants ,
o f the G reat H are a re the Thu nderb ird s I n the I roquoian .
version it i s the Thu n de rb o y who is swallowed by the horned
water snake from whose maw he is res c u ed by Thu nder an d
-
,
h i s wa rriors a s in the Hiawa t ha story it is the g u lls who re
’
lease t he p risoner from t he s t u rg eon s belly in whi c h he ha s
been en g u lfed as a c onsequen c e of his ras h amb ition to c o n
quer the ruler of the de p ths The myth ha s many va riants .
ho w ever an d while it m ay sometimes rep resent the storm
,
g oadin g to fu ry the man devou rin g waters in a more u ni
-
,
versal mode it wou l d seem to be but an Ameri c an vers ion of
the world ol d c on c e p tion of the c onquest of the watery C haos
-
by the c reative g eniu s o f L i g ht .
4 6 N O RTH AM E R I C AN M YT H O LO G Y
V . THE TH E F T OF F I RE 51
The onquest o f fi re by man deservedly ran ks amon g the
c
most im p ressive o f all ra c e-memories for p erha p s no o ne n at ,
u ral a g en c y h a s done so mu c h t o exalt the p oten c y of the human
ra c e as has tha t whi c h g ives u s heat and li g ht and p ower .
Mythi c ima g in ation everywhere as c ribes a d ivine ori g in to
fi re ; the heaven or some other remote reg ion over whi c h
,
u ard ian owers res ide i s the sou r c e o f this g reat a g en c y
g p p , ,
from whi c h as in the G reek tale of Prometheu s
—
it i s —
“ ”
stolen i n the p ith and borne among men to alleviate thei r
estate .
I n A l g onqu i an myth the Great H are here a s elsewhere i s , ,
”
the benefa c tor o f m ankind A Menominee version be g in s
.
qu ite na i vely : Ma n ab u sh when he w as still a youth on c e
“
, ,
‘
said to his g randmother Nokomis Grandmother it i s c ol d , ,
here and we have no fire ; let me g o to g et some Nokomis
endeavou rs to dis su ade h im but the you n g hero in his c anoe
, , ,
sta r t s eastward a c ross the waters to an island where dwell s
“
the o ld man who has fi re This ol d man ha d two d au g hters
.
,
who when they emerg ed from the s a c red W i g wam s aw a littl e
, ,
R abbit wet and c old an d c a refu lly takin g it u p they c arried
, ,
it into t he s a c red W i g wam where they s e t it down near th e
,
”
fi re to warm When the wat c hers a re o c c u p ied the R abb it
.
,
seizes a bu rnin g b rand and s c u rries to his c anoe p u rsu ed by ,
“
t he o ld man and h is d au g hters Th e velo c ity o f t he c anoe
.
c au sed su c h a c u rrent o f ai r that the b rand be an to bu rn
g
”
fierc ely ; and t hu s fi re is b rou g ht to Nokomis The Thu n .
d e re r s re c eived the fi re from Nokomis and have had the c a re ,
”
o f i t ever sin c e .
I t is not di ffi c u lt to see i n the old man a c ros s the E astern
waters a Su n God nor in the sa c red W i g wam with its m aiden
—
,
”
wa t c h ers a tem p le o f fi re with its V estal s “
Fi re s ays De .
,
“
Smet is in all the I nd ian tribes that I h ave known a n em
, , ,
”
blem o f h a p p ines s o r g ood fortune I t i s the emblem o f life
.
,
N O RT H A M E R I C A N M YT H O LO G Y
VI . SUN-M YTH S
The O ld Man and t he Maid s from whom Ma n ab u s h steal s
t he fi re belon g to th e Wa b a nu n a q s iwo k the Dawn-Peop le , ,
w ho d ress in red ; and shou ld a man o r a woman d ream o f the
,
D awn -Peop le he o r s he mu st forth w ith p re p are a b all g ame
,
.
This it i s s aid wa s ins t ituted by Ma n ab u sh in c eleb ra t ion o f
, ,
his vi c t ory over the m ali g nant manitos ; he made K ine u n ,
the Golden Ea g le and C hief o f t he Thu nderers leader o f o n e ,
s ide and O wa s se the B ear and C hief o f the U nderg roun d
, ,
Peop le leader o f the o t her ; but the Thunderers always win
,
52
the g ame even thou g h the S k y be d arkened by c lou d and rain
,
33
.
I t is ea sy to re c og nize in the b all whi c h bears the c olou rs ,
o f the East and the West red and yellow a symbol of the , ,
Sun ; and in this myth ( as in t he I roquois leg end of the ra p e
o f the Sun )
51
to see a story o f the c easeles s c onfli c t o f D ay
and Ni g ht with D ay the eternal c onqu eror Su n-symbolism
,
.
,
also seem s to u nderlie the tale o f B all C a rrier the boy who
,
- 13
,
w as lu red away by an old wit c h who p osses sed a ma g i c b all
t hat retu rned Of itself to her W i g wam when a c hild p u rsu ed it ,
and who was sent by her in sear c h o f the g ol d ( Su nli g ht) and
the ma g i c b rid g e ( R ainbow ) in the lod g e of a g iant b eyond
t he wa t ers B all —C a rrier who is a kind of I ndian J a c k the
.
,
Giant-Killer steal s the g ol d and the b rid g e and after many
, ,
amazin g adventu res and tran sformations retu rn s to his home .
A simila r p erha p s i denti c al c ha ra c ter is the Tc h a k ab e c h of
, ,
’
L e Jeune s Rela tio n o f Tc h a k ab e c h i s a Dwarf whose ,
p arents have been devou red by a B ea r ( the U nderworld C hief )
and a Great Hare the Geniu s of L i g ht He de c ided to as c end
,
.
to t he Sky and c limbed u p wa rd on a tree whi c h g rew a s he ,
b rea t hed u p on it u ntil he rea c hed the heaven s where he fou nd
, ,
t he lovel iest c ou ntry in the world He retu rned to the lower .
world bu ildin g lod g es a t interval s in the b ran c hes o f the
,
t ree and indu c ed his S ister to mou nt with him to the S ky ;
,
but t he li tt le c hild of t he sis t er b roke o ff the end o f the tree ,
THE FO R E S T T R I B E S 49
j u st low enou g h so that no o ne c ou l d follow t hem to thei r des
t in a t io n. Tc ha k ab ec h sna red the Su n in a net ; du rin g i t s c a p
t iv it y t here wa s no d ay below on ea r t h ; but by the aid o f a
mou se who sawed the strand s wi t h his sha rp teeth he w a s at ,
l ast able t o release t he Su n and restore t he d ay I n the Me no m .
in c e vers ion re c orded by Ho ff man the s nare is made by a ,
’
noose of the s ister s h ai r and t he Su n is se t free by the u n
,
a ided e ff orts O f the Mou se .
I n these shif t in g s t ories we se e the ima g e o f c h an g in g N a
tu re D ay and Ni g ht Su nli g ht and D arknes s t he Heavens
, ,
above and the E arth beneath c ou p led with a va g ue a p p re
,
h e n sio n Of the L ife that is in all thin g s and a d im e ff ort to ,
g ra s p the ori g ins o f the world .
VI I . THE VI LLA G E O F S OULS 10
The Great H a re the A l g onqu ians s ay de p a rted after h i s
, , ,
l abou rs to the fa r West where he dwells in the V i lla g e o f
, ,
Sou l s with his G randmother and his B rother Perrot tells of .
an I ndian who h ad wandered far from his o wn c ou ntry e m ,
c ou nterin g a man so tall that he c ou l d not des c ry his head .
“
Th e tremblin g hu nter hid himself bu t the g iant s aid : My ,
so n,
why art t hou afraid ! I am the Great H are he who h a s ,
c au sed t hee and many others to be born from the dead bod ies
o f va riou s animals Now I will g ive thee a c om p anion
. Ac .
c o r d in g ly he bestowed a wife o n the m an and t hen c on t inued
, , ,
“
Thou man shalt hu nt and m ake c anoes and do all thin g s
, , , ,
that a man mu st do ; and thou wom an sh al t do the c ookin g , ,
for thy hu sb and ma ke h is S hoes d res s the s kin s o f animals
, , ,
”
se w and p erform all the tas ks th at a re p ro p er for a woman
,
.
“
L e Jeu ne rel a t es another tale : how a c ertain s ava g e h ad t e
c e iv e d from Mes so n the g if t of immortality in a little p a c ka g e ,
with a stri c t inj u n c tion not to O p en it ; while he ke p t it c losed
he wa s immortal but h is wife bein g c u riou s and in c redu lou s
, , ,
wished to see what was inside this p resent ; and havin g O p ened
50 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
i t i t all flew away and s in c e t hen the s ava g es h ave been
, ,
”
subj e c t to dea th Thu s in the New World a s in the O ld
.
, ,
16 ’
woman s c u riosi t y is mankind s bane
’
.
A s t ory w h i c h has many versions is th at o f the j ou rney o f
a g rou p of men sometimes fou r sometimes seven , to t h e
abode o f the Great H a re He re c eives them c ou rteou sly
.
,
ente rt ains them after thei r lon g j ou rney and a s ks ea c h h is ,
wish O ne asks fo r s kill in war another fo r su c c es s in hu ntin g
.
, ,
another for fame another for love and the Ma ster o f L ife
, ,
assu res ea c h of the g rantin g of h is request B ut there i s .
o n e man yet to be hea rd from and hi s p lea is for lon g l ife ;
,
whereu p on he is t ransformed into a tree o r better a stone , ,
“
You shall have you r wish ; here yo u shall always remain fo r
”
futu re g enerations to look u p on s ays the Ha re A n o d d sequel
,
.
to this story i s that the retu rnin g warr i ors find thei r j ou rney
ve ry short o r a g ain th at what h as seemed only a b rief p eriod
,
tu rn s out to have been a stay of yea rs s hifts Of time whi c h
indi c ate that thei r travel has led them into the s p irit-world .
I n another tale this time from the Hu ron c ou ntry the fate
, ,
fu l j ou rney to the V illa g e o f Sou l s is u nderta ken by a m an who
h as lost his beloved s is t er He r S p irit a p p ears to him from t i me
.
to time as he travels but he is u nable to tou c h her A t l ast
,
.
,
after c rossin g an almost im p assable river he c omes to t he ,
abod e of o n e who di re c ts h im to the d an c in g -hou se of the s p ir
i t s There he is tol d to seize hi s s ister s sou l im p rison it in a
.
’
,
p um p kin and thu s se c u red to ta ke it b a c k to the l and o f t h e
, , ,
livin g where he will be able to reanim ate it p rovided that
, , ,
d u rin g t h e c eremony no one raises an eye to ob serve Th is h e
,
.
’
does and he feels the life retu rnin g t o h is s ister s body but a t
, ,
t he l ast moment a c u riou s p erson ventu res to look and th e ,
re t u rnin g l ife flees away 53
Here i s the tale o f O rp heu s an d
.
Eu rydi c e .
I n both Al g onqu ian and I roquoian myth the p ath to t he
V illa g e o f Sou l s is g u arded by d read wat c hers ready to c ast ,
into the abyss beneath those whose wi c kednes s ha s g iven them
5 2 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
o p p osed amon g his own p eo p le by the ma g i c ian and wa r-c hief
At o t a rho ; how his only d au g hter wa s slain at a c ou n c il o f
the t ribe by a g reat white bird summoned it i s s aid by the
, , ,
ven g eful ma g i c ian wh i c h dashed downward from the s kies an d
,
s t ru c k th e maiden t o earth ; how Hiawath a then sad ly dep a rted
from the p eop le whom he h ad sou g ht to benefit an d c ame to ,
the villa g es of the O neid a in a wh ite c anoe whi c h moved with ,
out human aid I t was here that he m ade the a c qu aintan c e
.
o f the c hief D e k a n awid a who lent a willin g ear to the a p ostl e
,
o f p ea c e
,
and who wa s to be c ome the g reat l awg iver o f the
lea g ue With the aid o f th i s C hieftain Hiawatha s p lan wa s
.
,
’
c arried to the Mohawk and C ayu g a tribes an d on c e a g ain to ,
the O nonda g a where i t i s told H iawath a and D e k a n awid a
, , ,
finally won the c onsent o f At o t arho to the c onfedera t ion .
“
Morg an s ays o f At o t arho th at trad ition rep resents his head
, ,
a s c overed with tan g led serp ents and hi s look when an g ry
, , ,
as so terrible that whoever looked u p on him fel l dead I t .
relates that when the L eagu e was formed the sna kes were ,
c ombed o u t o f his hai r by a Mohawk s a c hem who wa s ,
hen c e named Hayo we nt h a the m an who ,
‘
whi c h i s
doubtless a p arab le fo r the final c onversion o f the g reat wa r
c hief by the mi g hty orator
55
A fter the u nion h ad been p e r
.
fe c t e d tradition tells ho w Hiawath a de p a rted for the l and o f
,
the su nset s ailin g a c ross the g reat lake i n hi s m a g i c c anoe
, .
The I roquois raised him i n memory to the statu s o f a demi g od .
I n these tales of the man who c reated a n ation from a medley
o f tribes we ass from the n atu re -myth to the lane o f c ivil
, p p
iz at io n i n whi c h the c u ltu re hero a p p ea rs H i awatha i s an .
histori c al p ersona g e invested with semi-divinity be c au se o f hi s
g reat a c hievements for hi s fellow -men Su c h an a p otheosi s i s
.
inevi t able wherever in the hum an ra c e the d ream o f p ea c e
, ,
o u t o f men s divisions c reates t hei r more S lendid u nities
’
p .
P LA T E X I
I roquo is d raw i ng o f Ato ta rho ( I ) rec e i v ing two
,
Mohawk c h i e ftai ns p erha p s D e k anawida ( 2) a nd
,
Hi awatha A ft e r S c hoo l c ra ft
, Tr ibes p a rt i
, ,
Pl at e L XX .
C H A P T E R IV
TH E G U L F R E G IO N
I . TR I B E S AN D LAN D S
HE states borderin g the northern s hores the Gulf o f
“ ”
o f Mexi c o t he C otton B elt
—
form a t horou g hly
c ha ra c teristi c p hysio ra
g p hi c re g ion L ow -lyin g an.d dee p ly
alluvial abu nd antly watered both by rains and stream s an d
, ,
blessed with a wa rm equ able c limate thi s distri c t i s th e
, ,
natu ral su p p o rt o f a t eemin g life A t the time o f i t s dis c overy
.
it wa s i nhabited by c om p letely individu ated p eo p les While .
there were some intru sions o f fra g menta ry re p resentatives from
t he g reat stoc ks o f other re g ion al c entres I roquoian an d —
S iou an tri be s from the north and A rawa k from the B ahamas
,
the Gu lf-State l and s were m ainly in the p os ses sion o f lin
g u ist ic sto c ks n o t fou nd elsewhere and therefore ,
to be re
, ,
g arded a s abori g inals o f the soil .
O f these sto c ks by fa r the l arg est and most im p o rtant wa s
the Mu s kho g ean o c c u p yi n g the g reater p a rt o f what i s now
,
Georg i a A lab ama and Miss issi p p i a s well as a l a rg e p ortion
, , ,
o f Tennes see , and in c lu din g amon g its c hief tribes the C ho c
taw C hi c kas aw C reek ( or Mu s k ho g e e ) A lab ama Ap al a c hee
, , , , ,
and Seminole I nd ians Prob ably the interestin g N at c hez o f
.
northern L ou isian a were an offs hoot of the s ame s t o c k Two .
other sto c ks or families o f g reat t erri t ori al extent were the
Timu qu anan tribes o c c u p yin g the maj or p or t ion of the F lor i
,
d an p eninsu l a and the C addoan tr i bes of L ou i siana Texas
, , ,
A rkan sas and O klahoma
,
O f the beliefs o f few abori g ina l
.
p eo p les o f North A meri c a is les s known than o f the T i mu
qu an an I ndians of Fl o rid a so early and so enti rely were they
,
54 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
destroyed ; while the sou t hern C ad do by habit and thou g ht , ,
are most p ro p erly to be re g arded a s a re g ion al d ivision o f the
G reat Plains tribes Minor sto c ks a re the U c hean o f South
.
C arolina early a ssimilated with the Mu s kho g ean and the
, ,
hi g h ly lo c alized g rou p s o f the L ou isiana and Texas littoral ,
c on c ernin g whom o u r knowled g e i s sli g ht I n the whole Gu lf .
reg ion i t is t he institutions and thou g ht of the Mu s khogean s
,
— wi t h t he c u ltu rally a ffi liated C herokee th at are of domi —
nant im p ortan c e and interest .
Histori c ally the Mu skho g ean tribes i n c om p any with the
, ,
C herokee o f the A p p ala c hian Mou ntain re g ion who were a ,
sou t hern b ran c h o f the I roquoian sto c k form a grou p hardly ,
“
les s im p ortant than the C onfedera c y o f the north The Five .
”
C ivilized Tribes o f the I ndian Territory so re c og nized by ,
the U nited States Government c om p rise the C herokee C hi c k , ,
asaw C ho c taw C reek and Seminole tribes the m aj or p o r
, , , ,
t ion o f whom removed from their eastern l an d s between the
years 1 8 32 and 1 8 35 and established them selves in the Terri
tory u nder treaty I n a series o f p atents to the several nation s
.
o f this g rou p g iven by the U n i ted States ( 1 8 38 to the C hero
,
kee 1 8 4 2 to the C ho c taw from whom the C hi c kas aw derived
, ,
their title and 1 8 52 to the C reek who i n tu rn c onveyed
, , , ,
ri g hts to the Seminole) these tribes re c eived inalien able
,
t i t les to the land s into whi c h they immi g rated ; and they a d
v a n c e d so ra p idly i n the di re c tion o f self- overnment and
g
stable org anization bu ildin g towns and en c ou ra g in g and
, ,
“
develo p in g i ndu stry th at they c ame to be known a s t he five
,
”
c ivilized tribes in c ontrast to their les s p rogressive b rethren
,
o f other sto c ks The se p a rate government of these tribes
.
,
modelled u p on that of the U nited States but hav i n g only a ,
trea t y relation wi t h it c ontinu ed u ntil a s the resu lt of the
, ,
labou rs o f a c ommis sion a p p ointed by the U nited States Go v
e rn m e n t trib al rule wa s abolished A c co rdin g ly in 1 90 6 an d
, .
,
19 0 7 the I ndians be c ame c itizens o f t he U nited States
, an d ,
their territories p a rt of the state of O klahoma .
5 6 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
t hat s mi g ht re c og nize him and how when di s c overed he
he , , ,
w a s so mu c h ashamed to have her know it th at he ke p t as
fa r away a s he c ou ld at the o t her end o f the S k y ; ever sin c e he
t ries to kee p a lon g way behind the s u n and when he does some ,
t imes have to c ome nea r her in the west he makes himself as
” 17
t hin a s a ri b bon so t hat he c a n ha rdly be seen The C hero .
kee my t h of t h e rais in g o f the su n by the animal elders hand ,
b read t h by handb read t h u ntil it was j u st u nder t he s k y—ar c h
, ,
seven handbreadths hi g h is evidently a kin to the s imila r leg en d
,
of the Navaho o f the South -West
; while the story of the two
boys who j ou rneyed to the Sun rise and the C herokee version
,
o f the myth o f Prometheu s in wh i c h after va riou s othe r
—
,
animals have failed in their efforts to snat c h fi re from the s a c red
sy c amore in whi c h Thu nder h ad c on c ealed it the Water-S p ide r ,
su c c eeds a re both doub lets of tales c ommon i n the fa r West
—
.
Thu s le g ends from all p arts o f the c ont i nent are gathered in
the one lo c ality .
L ike t he C herokee the Y u c hi I nd i ans who were c losely
, ,
asso c iated with the C reek p oliti c al ly reg a rded the su n a s a
,
female She was the an c estres s of the hu man ra c e o r a c c ord
.
, ,
ing t o another story the Y u c hi s p ran g from the b lood tri c klin g
,
from the head o f a wizard who was de c a p itated when he at
tem p ted to kill the su n at its risin g a tale in whi c h the hea d
wou ld seem to be merely a doublet o f the su n itself A mon g .
the Mu s khog ean tribes g enerally the su n-c u lt seems to h ave
been c losely asso c iated with fi re-ma kin g festivals and fi re-tem
p les in forms stri kin g ly like those o f the I n c as o f Peru Per
,
.
ha p s the ea rliest a c c ount i s that p reserved with res p e c t to ,
the Nat c hez by Lafi t au i n h is Maeu rs des s au vages a m ér i
, ,
q u a i n s i 1 67 6 8
—
.
,
“
I n L ou isiana the N at c hez h ave a tem p le where i n without
c es sa t ion wat c h i s ke t o f the er etu al fire Of whi c h reat
p p p g ,
c a re is t aken t hat it be never extin uished Three ointed
g p .
sti c ks su fl i c e t o maintain it whi c h nu mber is never either in
,
c reased o r diminished — whi c h seem s to i ndi c ate some mys
P L A T E XI I
F l o rida Ind i a ns o ff e ri ng a stag to t he Su n . T he
d raw i ng is from Pi c art ( Cer emonies a nd r elig ious
toms of the v a r ious N a tions f
o the bnow n W or ld , Lo n
do n, 17
33 39
— iii
,
Pl,
at e L XXIV an d
re re s e nt s a s e v e ntee n th c entu r E u r o e a n c o n c e t i o n
p y p p
o f an A m e ri c a n Ind i a n ri t e T he p o l e is a symbo l
.
in t he su n-wo rs h i p o f ma ny Pl a ins an d South e rn
I nd i a ns .
THE G U LF RE G I O N 57
t e ry . A s they bu rn , t hey are advan c ed into the fi re u ntil it ,
be c omes ne c es sa ry to substitute others I t is in this tem p le that
.
t he bodies o f thei r c hiefs and thei r families are de p os ited The .
c hief g oes every day at c ertain hou rs to the entran c e of the
tem p le where bendin g low and extend in g his a rms in the
, ,
form o f a c ross he mu t ters c onfu sed ly without p ronoun c in g
,
any d isti n c t word ; this is the token o f duty whi c h he renders
to the Su n a s the author o f hi s bein g His subj e c ts ob se rve .
the same c eremony with res p e c t to him and with res p e c t to
al l t he p rin c es o f his blood whenever they S p eak to them
, ,
honou rin g in them by this external si g n o f res p e c t the Su n
, ,
from whi c h they believe them to be des c ended It is .
s in g u la r t hat while the huts o f the Nat c hez a re round thei r
, ,
tem p le i s lon g qu ite t he o p p os ite o f those of V esta O n the .
roof at its two extremities a re to be seen two ima g es o f ea g les ,
a b i rd c onse c rated to the Su n amon g the O riental s a s i t wa s to
Ju p iter in all the O c c ident .
The O umas and some p eop les o f V i rg in i a an d of Flor i d a
also have tem p les and a lmost the s ame reli g iou s Observan c es .
Those o f V i rg inia h ave even an idol whi c h they name O ki o r
K io u sa wh i c h kee p s wat c h o f the dead I h ave heard say
, .
,
moreover that the O umas sin c e the arrival o f the F ren c h who
, ,
p rofaned their tem p le h ave allowed it to fall i nto ru in an d
,
h ave no t ta ken the trouble to restore it .
III . THE N EW MAI Z E 39
The most famou s a nd i nteresting c eremony o f the Mu s
k ho g e an tr i bes i s th at whi c h has c ome to be known in En g lis h
“ ”
as the B u s k ( a c orru p tion o f the C reek p u s hita meanin g ,
“
fast This was a c eleb ration at the time o f the fi rst m a
tu rin g of the maize in Ju ly o r Au g u st a c c ord in g to lo c ality
, , ,
’
thou g h it had the dee p er si g nifi c an c e o f a New Y ear s feast ,
and hen c e o f the rej uven ation o f al l life .
I n the C reek towns the B u s k wa s held i n the g reat hou se
, ,
58 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
whi c h c onsis t ed o f fou r re c tan g u la r lod g es ea c h d ivided into ,
three c om p artments and all o p en-fa c ed towa rd a c entra l
,
square or p laza whi c h they served to bound The lod g es were
, ,
.
fitted with ban ks o f seats and ea c h c om p artment wa s as si g ned
,
to i t s o wn c lass o f men The p la c e o f honou r ( in some town s at
.
least) was the western lod g e o p en to the mornin g sun where , ,
w as the seat o f the head c hief I n the c entre o f the squ a re was .
ke p t bu rnin g a fi re m ade from fou r log s oriented to the fou r
,
c a rdinal p oints . Th e stru c tu re i s hi g hly su gg estive o f a kind of
tem p le o f the yea r the c entral fi re bein g t he symbol o f t he su n
,
and o f the fou r-squ a re u niverse an d the twelve c om p a rtments ,
’
o f the lod g es p erha p s indi c ative o f t he year s lunations Al .
though the B us k was not a festival o f the summer solsti c e it ,
c ame ,
none the les s at the season o f the hottest su n and so
, ,
marked a natu ral c han g e in the yea r .
The B us k o c c u p ies fou r d ays in the lesser town s ei g ht i n the ,
g reater ; and the c eremony seems to h ave fou r si g nifi c ant p a rts ,
the ei g ht-day form bein g only a len g thenin g o f the p erforman c e .
O n the first d ay al l the fi res of the villa g e havin g been p re
,
v io u sly extin g u ished a new fi re is kindled by fri c tion an d fed
, ,
by the fou r log s oriented to the c ard inal p oints I nto this fi re .
’
i s c ast a fi rst -fru its o ff erin g c ons istin g o f fou r ea rs o f the newly
,
ri p ened maize and fou r b ran c hes of the c as sine shrub D an c es .
and p u rifi c at o ry c eremonies o c c u p y the d ay O n the se c ond .
day the women p re p are new maize for the c omin g feast while ,
“ ”
the warriors p u rg e themselves wi t h wa r p hys i c an d bathe ,
in runnin g water The third d ay i s a p p a rently a time o f vi g il
.
for the older men while the you n g er men hu nt in p re p ara t ion
,
for the c omin g feast D u rin g these p relimina ry days the sexes
.
a re tabu to o ne another and all fast The fes t ival ends wi t h
,
.
a feast and merry-makin g a c c om p anied by c ertain c u riou s ,
c eremonies su c h a s the b rewin
, g o f medi c ine from a g reat va ri
ety o f p lants o ff erin g s o f tob a c c o to the c ardinal p oints and a
, ,
si g nifi c ant rite des c ribed as follows
,
“ ’
A t the miko s c ab in a c ane havin g two white fea t hers o n its
60 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O L O G Y
IV . C O S MO G O N I ES 15
The Gulf States , re p resentin g a re g ion into wh i c h tr i bes
from bo t h t he north and the west had p ressed n atu rally S how ,
d iverse and c ontradi c t ory c on c e p tions even amon g nei g hbou r ,
i ng tribes .Perha p s most interestin g i s the c ontrast o f c o s
m o g o n ic ideas The Forest tribes of the north c ommonly fin d
.
t he p ro t o t y p e o f the c rea t ed world in a heaven above the
heavens whose floor is the visible fi rm am e n t ; the tribes o f the
,
South-West very g enerally reg a rd the habitab le ea rth as an
u p p er storey into whi ch the an c estors of m an as c ended from
their p ristine u nderg rou nd abodes B oth o f these typ es o f co s .
m o g o ny a re to be found in t he Gulf re g ion .
Natu rally the C herokee share with t hei r I roquo i an c ou s i n s
the belief i n an ori g inal u p p er world thou g h their vers ion o f ,
the ori g in of thin g s is by no mean s a s ri c h and c om p li c ated a s
”
the I roquois a ccou nt The earth they s ay
. is a g reat isl and
, ,
floatin g in a sea and su s p en ded at ea c h o f the fou r c ardinal
,
oints by a c ord han g in g down from the s k y vau lt whi c h i s
p ,
o f solid ro c k When the world g rows o ld and worn o u t the
.
,
p eo p le will d ie and the c ord s will b rea k a nd let the earth sin k
”
d own into the o c ean an d all will be water a g ain
,
O ri g inally .
the animals were c rowded in t o the s ky-world ; everything was
flood below The Water-Beetle w as sent o n a n ex p lorat i on
.
,
and after dar t in g about o n the su rfa c e o f the waters and fi nd
ing no rest it d ived to the de p th s when c e it b rou g ht u p a bit
, ,
40 “
o f mud ,
from whi c h E arth develo p ed b y a c c retion When .
the earth was d ry and the animals c ame down it wa s still ,
d ark so they g o t the su n and se t i t in a tra c k to g o every d ay
,
a c ros s the island from east to west j u st ove rhead I t wa s too ,
.
hot this way and Ts is k ag ili the R ed C rayfish h ad his shel l
, , ,
s c orc hed a b ri g ht red so that his meat was S p o i led ; and t he
,
C herokee do no t eat it The c onj u rers p u t the su n anothe r
.
h andbreadth hi g her in the ai r but it was still too hot They ,
.
raised i t another time and another u ntil it wa s seven hand
, ,
THE G U LF R E G I O N 61
b readths hi g h and j u st u nder the S ky a r c h Then it wa s ri g ht .
,
and t hey left it so This i s why t he c onj u rers c all the hi g hest
.
’
p l a ce the
‘
seven t h hei g ht be c au se i t is seven handb readths
,
above the earth Every d ay t he sun g oes alon g u nder this a rc h
.
,
” 13
and re t u rn s a t ni g ht on t he u p p er side t o t he startin g p la c e .
The p rimeval sky-world and t he c haos of w a t ers t he e p isod e ,
o f t he d ivin g for ea rth and t he des c en t of life from heaven al l
,
indi c ate a northern ori g in ; but there a re m any featu res o f thi s
myth su gg es t ive o f the far South -West su c h a s the c rowdin g
,
o f the animal s in t heir ori g inal home the seven hei g hts o f
,
heaven and the raisin g o f the su n Fu r t hermore the C herokee
,
.
,
myth c on t inues with an obviou s add i t ion of south -western
“
ideas : There i s ano t her worl d u nder this an d it i s l ike ou rs ,
in every t hin g animals p lants and p eo p le
, , s ave th a t the
seasons are d ifferent The stream s th at c ome down from
.
the mou ntains a re the trails by whi c h we rea c h this u nder
world and the s p rin g s at thei r head s a re the doorways by
,
whi c h we enter it but to do thi s one mu st fa st and g o to water
,
a nd have o ne of the u nderg rou n d p eo p le for a g u ide We .
know that the seasons i n the u nderworl d a re d i ff erent from
ou rs be c au se the water in the s p rin g s is always warmer in
,
”
win t er and c ooler in summer than the outer ai r .
A mon g other C herokee myths h avin g to do with the be g in
n ing s of thin g s i s a le g en d o f the theft o f fi re a tale widely
d istributed th rou g hout A meri c a The world was c old s ays
.
,
the my t h u n t il the Thu nders sent thei r li g h t nin g s t o im p lant
,
fi re i n the hea rt of a sy c amore whi c h g rew u p on an island
, .
The animals beheld t he smoke and determined to obtain the fi re
to wa rm the world Fi rst the b ird s attem p ted the feat R aven
.
,
and S c ree c h O wl and Horned O wl and Hoo t ing O wl but c ame ,
away only w i th s c orc hed feathers o r blinking eyes Next the .
snakes B la c k R a c er and B la c ksnake in su cc ess ion swam
, ,
through the waters to the i sl and but su c c eeded only i n bla c k
,
c u ing thei r o wn s kins Finally Water-S p ider s p u n a threa d
.
,
from her body and wove i t i nto a tusti bowl wh i c h she fastened
62 N O RT H A M E R I C AN M YT H O LO G Y
on h er ba c k and in whi c h s h e su c c eeded in b rin g in g home a
l ive c oal 61 Game and C orn c ame into the world throu g h the
.
a c t ivi t ies of two boys one the so n and o ne the foster so n of
,
—
o l d man L u c ky Hun t er and h is wife C orn Th e boys followed .
t hei r fa t her into t he wood s s aw him o p en the ro c k entran c e
,
o f t he g reat c ave in whi c h the animals were c onfined and after ,
w a rd in mis c hief loosed all the animals to p eo p le the world ,
w i t h g ame 41
. Their mother C orn they S lew and wherever ,
her blood fell u p on t he g rou nd there maize s p ran g u p 3s
The .
p arents went to t he E ast an d dwel t wi t h the sun rise but the ,
boys themselves be c ame the Thu nderers and abode i n the
d arkenin g West and t he son g s whi c h they tau g ht to the
,
hu nters a re s t ill u sed in the c hase o f deer .
L ike the C herokee the Y u c hi held to the northern c o sm o g
,
o ny an u p p er world c ontainin g the E lders o f men and ani
,
mals and a waste o f waters below A nimal after animal
,
.
attem p ts to b rin g u p ea rth from the dee p u ntil in thi s leg end , , ,
the c rayfish su c c eed s in liftin g to the su rfa c e the emb ryoni c
ball when c e Ea rth i s to g row The Y u c hi add however a n
.
, ,
interes t in g element to the myth : The new-formed l and wa s
semi-fl u id Tu rkey-B uzzard wa s sent forth to ins p e c t it with
.
,
the warnin g that he was not to fl ap hi s win g s while soarin g
’
above ear t h s re g ions B ut be c omin g wea ried he d i d so to
.
, , ,
avoid fallin g and the effe c t u p on the fluid l and o f the wind s so
,
c reated wa s the formation of hil l and valley .
I n c ontra st to these tales of a p rimeval d es c ent o r fall
from an u p p er world a re the c osmog oni c myth s of a n a s c ent
from a subterranean abode whi c h the Mu s kho g ean tribes share
,
with the I nd ians o f the South -West At a c ertain time the
.
,
Ea rth o p ened in the West where i ts mou t h is The earth
,
.
o p ened and t he Cu ssit aws c ame o u t o f its mouth and set ,
”
t le d near by This is the be g innin g o f the famou s mi g ra
.
t ion le g end o f the C reeks a s p reserved by G at sc he t
-
,
31
The .
s t ory re c ou nts how the earth be c ame angry and ate u p a p o r
tion o f her p ro g eny ; how the p eo p le sta rted o u t o n a j ou rney
P L A T E X II I
Human fi g ure in sto ne p robab ly re p re s enti ng a
,
d e ity ; h e i ght 2 1 % inc h e s Fou nd in Bait o w C ou nty
.
,
G e o rgi a Afte r R epor t of t he United Sta tes N a tiona l
.
Museum 1 8 9 6 Pl ate X L IV
, , .
64 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YTH O LO G Y
and of the c avern p eo p led by the an c estral animal s a nd men ,
i s t o be fou nd fa r in t he North and West o n the Ameri c an
c on t inen t t o whi c h it i s u ndoubtedly native
,
.
V . AN I MAL STOR I E S 41
To the most p rimitive stratu m of
myth belon g those tales o f
the beg innin g s o f thin g s whi c h have to do not with the sou r c e ,
’
of t he world for t h e idea th at man s hab itat i s itself a sin g le
bein g with beg innin g and end is neither a s im p le nor a very
, ,
p rimitive c on c e p t but whi c h re c ou nt the ori ins o f animal
g
’
traits Ho w Snake g o t his p o i son why Pos su m has a la rg e
.
,
mou t h why Mole lives u nderg rou n d why C ed ar i s red -g rained
, ,
these a re titles rep resen t a t ive of a mu ltitu de of stories n ar
ratin g t he beg innin g s O f the d istin c tive p e c u lia rities o f ani
’
m al s and p lan t s as the I ndian s fan c y c onj e c tu res them The .
Gulf-S t ate reg ion is p a rti c u la rly ri c h in tales o f this typ e ,
and it has been u rg ed very p lau sibly that the p revalen c e of
S imila r and identi c al animal stories amon g the I ndian s and
neg roes p oints to a c ommon and p robably A meri c an sou r c e
fo r most of them .
The snakes t he bees and the was p s got thei r venom ac
, , ,
c ordin g to the C ho c taw story when a c ertain water-vine whi c h
, ,
had p oisoned the I ndians who c ame to the b ayou to b athe ,
su rrendered its p oison to these c reatu res out o f c ommisera
tion for men ; the o p os su m g o t his b ig mouth as stated by ,
these same I ndians from l au g hter o c c asioned by a malev
,
olent j oke whi c h he p erp etrated u p on the d eer ; the mole lives
u nderg round s ay the C herokee fo r fear o f rival m a g i c ians
, ,
j ealou s of his p owers a s a love-c harmer ; an d i n Y u c hi sto ry
t he red g rain of the c eda r is due to the fa c t that to its t o p i s
fas t ened the bleedin g head o f the wizard who tried to kill
the su n .
The motives ins p irin g the an i mal stor i es a re va r i ou s Doubt .
’
less the mere love of story-t ellin g for entertainment s sa ke i s
, , ,
THE G U LF R E G I ON 65
a fundamental stimu lu s ; the p lot is su gg ested by n atu re an d ,
the fan c y enla rg es u p on it frequently with a humorou s or ,
s atiri c al vein B ut from s atire to moralizin g is a n easy tu rn ;
.
the story-teller who sees human foible in the traits o f animal s
i s well on t he way to be c ome a fabu list Many o f the I ndian .
s t ories a re intended to p oin t a moral j u st as many o f them are ,
d esi g ned to g ive an answer more or less c redible to a natu ra l
, ,
d ifferen c e t hat stimu l ates c u rios ity Thu s we find moral s .
a nd s c ien c e min g lin g instru c tion with entertainment in thi s
, ,
most p ri mi t ive of li t erary forms .
V anity is o n e of the motives most c on stantly em p loyed .
The C ho c taw story o f the ra c c oon and the op ossu m tell s how ,
lon g ag o both of these animals p osses sed bu shy t ails but t he
, ,
’ ’
o p ossum s tail wa s white whereas the ra c c oon s was beauti
,
’
fu lly stri p ed At the ra c c oon s advi c e the o p ossu m u ndertook
.
,
t o b rown the h airs o f his tail at a fi re but h is la c k o f c aution ,
c au sed the h air to bu rn an d h is tail h as been smooth ever
,
S in c e
. A s imila r theme with an obv i ou s moral is the C hero
, ,
“
k ee fable o f the buzza rd s to p knot : The buzza rd u sed to
’
h ave a fine top knot of whi c h he w as so p rou d that he refu sed
,
t o eat c a rrion an d while the other bird s were p e c kin g at the
,
b ody o f a deer o r other anima l whi c h they h ad fou nd he wou l d
‘
s trut a rou nd and sa y : Y o u m ay h ave it all i t i s not good ,
’
e nou g h for me They resolved to p u n is h him an d with the
.
,
h el p o f the bu ffalo c arried o u t a p lot by whi c h the bu zza rd
lost not h is top knot alone but nearly all the other feathers ,
o n his head . He lost h is p ride at the s ame time so that he i s ,
”
w illin g enou g h now to eat c a rrion for a livin g .
V en g ean c e theft g ratitu de s kill an d tri c kery i n c ontest
, , , ,
a re other motives whi c h ma ke of these tales not only ex p l ana
tions but lessons The fab le o f the lion and the mou se has a
.
C herokee analo g u e in the story o f the wolf whose eyes were
p l astered shut while he,
sle p t by a mal i c iou s ra c c oon ;
,
a bi rd ,
t akin g p ity on the wolf p ee k e d the p laster from his eyes ; an d
,
t he wolf rewa rded the bi rd by tellin g hi m where to find red
66 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
aint with whi c h he mi g ht c olou r t he somb re feathers o f hi s
p
b reas t This wa s the ori g in o f the redbird The story o f the
.
.
hare and the tortoise i s re c alled by the ra c e o f the c rane and
the hummin g bird ; t he swift hu mm i n g-b ird outstri p p ed th e
-
c rane by d ay but sle p t at ni g ht ; the lu mberin g c rane be c au se ,
o f his p owers o f endu ran c e flyin g ni g ht and d ay won the
, ,
ra c e Even more su gg estive o f the s ame fable i s the tale o f
.
how the terra p in beat the rabb it who had c hallen g ed h im to ,
a ra c e by p ostin g at ea c h station on the c ou rse a member o f
,
his family himself awai t in g h is anta g onist at the finish
,
.
Ma g i c and transform ation stories form still a nother c l as s
p resentin g many analo g ies to simila r O ld -Worl d tales 46
Th e .
C herokee have a story immed iately reminis c ent o f Germa n
,
folk-tales o f a g irl who fou nd a bu llfrog S ittin g bes ide the
,
s p rin g where she went for water ; the bu llfrog transformed
himself into a you n g man whom she m arried but hi s fa c e
, ,
always had a fro g g is h look I n other c ases transform ation i s
.
fo r the sake o f reven g e as the ea g le who as sumed hu man for m
,
after his mate had been killed an d who took ven g ean c e u p on ,
the tribe o f the hu nter Prob ably the moral o f the b roken
.
tabu lies at the b as is o f th is story for this is a frequent motive ,
in tales where men are transformed into anim al s o r animal s
assu me human sha p e Thu s a hu n g ry hu nter is tu rned into a
.
,
snake fo r eatin g squ irrel meat whi c h was tabu to him ; another
,
has hi s death foretold by a katydid whose son g he ridi c u les ;
another is lu red by a doe whi c h c omes to l i fe after he ha s
,
slain her to the c avern of the deer an d is there himself trans
, ,
formed into a deer retu rnin g to his o wn p eop le only to d ie
,
.
Stories o f the Rip V an Win kle typ e develo p from this theme
o f the hu nter lu red away by animals as in the instan c e of t h e ,
man who s p ent a ni g ht with the p anthers and found u p on hi s , ,
retu rn that he had been lost a whole season ; while Eu ro
,
33
p ean tales o f merfol k fi nd thei r p a rallels in stories o f u nder
water towns to whi c h fishermen a re d ra gg ed o r lu red by wizard
fishes .
68 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
’ ’
handy way I think I ll try t hat When he s t a rted home he in
.
.
v it e d th e Bear to c ome and take d inner with him When the .
‘
B ear c ame t he R abbit s aid I have beans for d inner too ,
.
N o w I ll g e t g rease for them So he took a knife and d rove it
’
.
in t o h is s ide but ins t ead of oil a stream of blood g u shed ou t
, ,
and h e fell over nearly dead The B ea r p i c ked him u p an d
.
h ad hard work to t ie u p the wou nd and stop the bleed in g .
’
Th en he s c olded him You little fool I m la rg e and stron g
‘
, ,
’
and lined all over wi t h fat ; the knife don t hu rt me ; but
’
you re small and lean and you c an t do su c h
’
,
The world i s p eo p led however with other wonder fol k
, ,
-
besides t he ma g i c animals and many o f these mythi c bein g s
,
belon g t o an c ient and wide s p read systems Thu s the C hero
-
.
,
kee Flin t (Tawis k ala ) i s obviou sly the evil twin of the north
ern I roquois c osmo g ony ; and althou g h he h as c eased to b e
remembered as a demiu rg i c Titan h is evil an d u nso c iable n a ,
tu re remains the s ame 45
I n C ho c taw tales t he Devil who i s
.
,
d rowned by a maiden whom he has lu red from her home an d ,
whose body b reaks into stony fra g ments is a p p arently the ,
s ame bein g 38
The Ice Man w i th his northerly wind s an d
.
,
slee t y rains who quen c hed the fi re that threatened to c onsume
,
the world ; the North who kep t the South for B ride u ntil the
ho t su n for c ed him to release her ; 39
Unt s aiy i the Gambler , ,
’
who g ames away his life and flees to the world s end where
, ,
he is bound and p inned by the two b rothers who have p u rsued
’
h im there to writhe u ntil the world s end
,
56
all these are
tales with familiar heroes known in many tribes and lands
,
.
Nor a re the tribes o f ma g i c fol k di fferent in kind from those
fou nd elsew h ere There a re the hel p fu l s p irit wa rriors who
.
,
dwell in ro c k and b ill the Nu n ne hi ; there are the L ittl e
,
Peop le fairies g ood and evil ; there are the Tsu n d ig ewi t he
,
36
,
D w arfs who lived in nests S c oop ed from the sand and who ,
fou g ht wi t h and were overc ome by the c ranes ; the Water 2
C annibals who live u p on human flesh es p e c ially that o f
, ,
c hild ren ;
9
the Thu nderers whose steed is the g reat Uk t e n a ;
,
THE G U LF R E G I ON 69
the horned s nake with a diamond in h i s forehead and t o ,
50
whose c ave a you n g man was lu red by the Thu nder s sister ’
,
only to find when he retu rned to his fol k to tell h is s t ory an d
,
d ie th at the ni g ht he had s p ent there c om p rised lon g years
,
.
Kana t i L u c ky Hunter t he hu sband o f Selu Corn and Tsu l
, , , ,
kalu the slant-eyed g iant held dominion over the animal s
, ,
and were g od s o f the hu nter ; while t he different animals ea c h ,
i n its kind were u nder the su p ervision of t he animal Elders
,
40
,
su c h a s the L ittle Deer invis ible to al l ex c e p t the g reatest
,
hu n t ers the Whi t e B ea r t o whom wou nded bears g o to b e
, ,
c u red o f t heir hu rts Tla nu wa the H awk im p erviou s to
, ,
a rrows D a kwa the g reat fi sh wh i c h swallowed the fi sherman
, ,
and from whi c h he c u t himself out and the man-eatin g L ee c h , ,
as larg e as a hou se .
Su c h is the g eneral c om p lexion o f the C herokee p antheon
hordes o r kind s o f n atu re-p owers with a few mi g htier p e r ,
so n a lit ies emer g in g above them emb ryoni c g ods A ltog ether,
.
S i mila r a re the c on c e p tion s o f the Mu s kho g ean trib es g iants
and dwa rfs fai ries and wizard s now human now animal in
, , ,
sh a p e p eop lin g h ill and stream forest and bayou
, , .
VII . MY THI C H I S TO RY 57
Tr i bes su c h a s the C herokee C reek and all ied n ation s
, , , ,
with settled town s and el aborate in stitutions a re c ertain to
show some develo p ment o f the histori c al sense I t is tru e that .
the C herokee h ave no su c h wealth o f histori c tradi t ion a s
have thei r northern c ou s ins the p eo p les o f the I roquois Co n ,
federa c y ; but at the s ame time they p os ses s a c onsiderable
lore dealing wi t h thei r p ast Hero t ales n arratin g the deeds o f .
,
redoubtab le wa rriors o f former d ays and in c identally keep in g ,
alive the memory o f the tribes wi t h whom the C herokee were at
war in ea rly d ays natu rally form the c hief p ortion o f su c h tra
,
d it io n s ; but there a re also fabu lou s stories of ab andoned towns ,
an c ient mou nds an d s t ran g e p eop les formerly en c ou ntered
,
.
70 N O RT H A M E R I C AN M YT H O LO G Y
I n o ne p ar t i c ula r t he C herokee a re distin g u ished above all
o t her t ribes I n the fi rst years o f the nineteenth c entu ry
.
’
Sequoya havin g observed the utility o f the white man s a rt
,
o f w ri t in g invented the C herokee al p habet still em p loyed for
, ,
t he na t ive literatu re He submitted his syllaba ry to the c hief
.
men o f the na t ion ; it was ado p ted and in a few months thou
,
sands of t he C herokee had lea rned its u se Nevertheless thi s .
,
innovation was not made without anta g onism ; and the O p p o
n e n t s to make stron g thei r c ase told a tale of how when In
, , ,
d ian and white man were c reated t he I ndian who was the , ,
elder re c eived a book while the white wa s g i ven bow and
, ,
a rrows B ut sin c e the I n dian was neg le c tfu l of his book the
.
,
white man stole it leavin g the bow in its p la c e so th at then c e
, ,
forth the book belon g ed le g itimately to the white man while ,
’
huntin g with the bow wa s the I ndian s ri g htfu l life A s imila r .
’ ’
tale makes the white man s fi rst g ift a stone an d the I ndian s ,
a p ie c e o f s i lver these g ifts be c omin g ex c h an g ed ; while a n
,
other story tells how the neg ro invented the lo c omotive whi c h ,
the white man after killin g the ne g ro took from him
, ,
.
To an enti rely d i fferent stratu m o f histori c al myth belongs
the story o f the mass a c re o f the An ik u t an i These were a .
p riestly c lan havin g heredita ry su p ervis ion o f all reli g iou s
c eremonies amon
g the C herokee T hey abu sed
. thei r p owers ,
takin g advanta g e o f the awe in whi c h they were held to over ,
ride the most s a c red ri g hts of their fellow tribesmen u ntil ,
finally after o ne o f the Anik u t a n i had violated the wife of a
'
youn g b rave the p eo p le rose in wrath and extirp ated the c lan
, .
I n la t er vers ion s it i s a n atu ral c alam ity whi c h is made re
s p onsible for the destru c t i on o f the wi c ked p riests ; so that here
we seem to ha v e a tale whi c h re c ord s not only a radi c al c han g e
in the reli g iou s institutions o f the tribe but whi c h is wel l on ,
w
th e ay t oward the form ation of a story of d ivine retribution 5
.
The C reek Mi g ration L e g end ”
ed ited by G a t sc h e t and
, ,
re c orded from a s p ee c h delivered in 1 7 35 by C h e k illi head ,
c hief o f t he C reek is a mu c h more c om p rehens ive histori c al
,
72 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
C oos aw where t hey d w el t fou r years A man eatin g lion
,
-
p
re y ed u p on the p eo p le o f thi s town T h e C u ss it aws s aid .
t h ey w ou ld try t o kill the beast They d i gg ed a p it and .
stret c hed over it a net made o f hi c kory b ark They then l ai d .
a number o f b ran c hes c ros swise so th at the lion c oul d not ,
follow t hem and g oin g t o t he p l a c e where he l ay they threw
,
a rattle in t o his den The lion ru shed for t h in g reat an g er an d
.
p u rsued them th rou g h the b ran c hes Then they thou g ht i t .
better t hat o ne shou ld d ie rather than a ll S O they took a ,
motherless c hild and threw it before the l ion a s he c ame nea r
22
the p it The lion ru shed at it and fell in the p it over wh i c h
.
, ,
they threw the net and killed him with bl azin g p inewood
,
.
His bones however t hey kee p to th i s day ; o n one S ide they
, ,
a re red on the o t her blu e The lion u sed to c ome every seventh
,
.
d ay to kill the p eop le Therefore they remained there seven
'
.
,
d ays after they had killed him I n rememb ran c e o f him when .
,
they p re p are for war they fast s ix d ays and sta rt on the seventh .
” 19
I f they take his bones with them they h ave g ood fortu ne .
A fter this the tribe c on t inu ed it s j ou rney seekin g the p eop l e
, ,
who h ad made the white p ath They p assed several rivers .
,
and c ame to va riou s town s ; but when they shot white a rrow s
into these towns a s a S i g n o f p ea c e the inh abitants s hot b a c k
, ,
red arrows Sometimes the Cu ss it aw went o n without fi g ht
.
ing sometimes they fou g ht and destroyed the hostile p eop l e
,
.
“
Finally they c ame a g ain to the white p ath an d s aw t he
, ,
smoke o f a town and thou g ht that this mu st be the p eo p le they
,
had so lon g been seek i n g This is the p la c e where now the t rib e
.
‘
o f P alac hu c o las live The P alac hu c o las gave them bla c k
.
d rink as a sign o f fr i end sh i p and s aid to them : O u r hea rts a re
, ,
white and you rs mu st be white and you mu st lay down t he ,
bloody tomahawk and show you r bodies a s a p roof that the y
, ,
”
shall be white The two tribes were u nited u nder a c ommo n
.
“
c hief . Nevertheles s a s the Cu ssit aws fi rst saw the re d
,
smoke and the red fi re and made bloody towns they c annot ,
yet leave their red hearts whi c h a re however , white o n o ne , ,
THE G U LF R E G I O N 73
s ide and red o n t he other They no w know that the white
p a t h was the best for them .
Su c h is t he mi g ration le g end of the C reek alto g ether similar
-
,
to other t ales of tribal wanderin g both i n the New Worl d and
the O ld Pa rtly it i s a mythi c al g enesis ; p a rtly it is an exodu s
.
from a p rimi t ive l and of tribu l a t ion and w ar into a land o f
ea c e ; p a rtly it i s his t ori c al rem inis c en c e t he t ale of a c onquer
p ,
in g t ribe j ou rneyin g in sea r c h of ri c her fields The soj ou rn by
.
t he mou n t ain o f m arvels when c e c ame the tali smani c p ole 61
,
a s wel l a s knowled g e o f t he l aw an d the mysteries re c alls t he ,
s t ory o f S inai while the whi t e p ath and the sea r c h for the
,
l and o f p ea c e su gg est the p romise o f C anaan The e p isode s .
o f th e man -devou rin g bird an d the man -eatin g lion p osses s
many my t hi c p arallels while both seem to ha rk ba c k to a time
,
w h en hum an sa c rifi c e was a re c og nized rite 29
Doubtles s the
.
whole tale i s a c om p lex o f fa c t and ritu al p artly veritable ,
re c olle c t ion o f the histori c p ast p a rtly a fan c ifu l a c c ou nt o f
,
the beg innin g s o f the rites and p ra c ti c es o f the nation L ast .
o f a ll c omes the b i t o f
, p sy c holo g i c al analys is re p resented by
the alleg ory o f the p arti c olou red heart o f the R ed Man who
-
knows the better way but be c au se o f his d ivided natu re i s
, , ,
not wholly c a p able o f followin g it This g ives to the whole
.
myth an aetiolog i c al rationali t y an d a d ramati c ally a p p ro
p rlate finish The fall o f man i s narrated ; hi s redem p tion re
.
mains to be a c c om p lished .
U nquestionably m any myths o f the ty p e o f th i s C reek le g end
h ave been lost for it is only by rare c han c e that su c h heroi c
,
tales su rvive the v i c i ss itu des o f time .
CHAPT E R V
T H E G R E A T P L A IN S
I . THE TR I BAL STOCK S
HE b road p hysio g ra p hi c al divisions of the North A meri
can c ontinent a re lon g itu dinal The reg ion bou nded o n.
the east by the Atlanti c seaboard extends westwa rd to p arallel
moun t ain ran g es whi c h slo p e away o n the north into the
L ab rador p eninsu l a and Hu dson s B ay an d to the south into
’
,
the p eninsu l a o f Florid a and the Gu lf of Mexi c o West o f the .
eas tward mou ntains stret c hin g as far a s the va st ran g es of the
,
R o c kies is the g reat c ontinental trou g h whose southern half
, ,
i s d rained by the Miss issi p p i into t he Gulf while the Ma c ken ,
zie and its tributa ries c a rry the waters from the northern d ivi
s ion into the A rc ti c O c ean The eastern p ortion o f t his trou g h
.
,
to a line lyin g rou g hly between lon g itu des 90 and 9 5 i s a ,
p a rt o f what was ori g inally the forest re g ion ; the western
p a rt from far beyon d the tree line in t he north to the d e s
,
erts o f nort hern Mexi c o c om p rises the Great Plains o f North
,
Ameri c a the p rai ries o r g ras s land s whi c h p reviou s to white
, , , ,
settlement su p p orted innumerable herd s o f bu ff alo to the south
,
and c aribou to t he nort h as wel l as a va ried and p rolifi c life
,
o f lesser animals antelo p e deer rabb its hares fu r-bearin g
, , , ,
animal s and birds in mu ltitu de C ou p led with this p lenitud e
,
.
o f g ame was a
p au c i t y o f c rea t u res formidable to man so that ,
abori g inally the Great Plains afforded a hu ntin g-g rou nd with
s c arc ely an equ al o n any c ontinent I t was ada p ted to and did
.
su p p ort a hale p o p u l ation of nomadi c hu n t smen .
A s in S imila r p or t ions of the earth havin g no natu ral b a r
r ie rs to
p as s a g e and inter c ou rse the human aboriginal s o f th e
,
7 6 NO R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
The m anner o life o f the Pl ains tribes was everywhere
f
mu c h the s ame They were i n the main hu nters livin g in
.
,
t owns durin g the winter and in summer movin g their p ortable
c am p s from p l a c e to p la c e within the tribal hu ntin g ran g e .
Th e s kin t i p i o r I nd ian tent wa s the u su al ty p e o f dwellin g
, , ,
enerally re la c in g t he bark W i g wam o f the forests ; but the
g p
C addoan and some other tribes bu ilt subs t antial ea rth lod g es
a form o f dwellin g whi c h a rc haeologi c al resear c h shows to
h ave been an c ient and wide-s p read alon g the b anks o f the
g reat western rivers A
.
g r i c u ltu re 24
,
too wa s more,
im p ortant
and more hi g hly develo p ed among the earth -lod g e dwellers ,
bein g p ar t ly a symbol and p ar t ly a c onsequ en c e o f their more
se t tled life I t fou nd its refle c tion al so in ideas the most
.
, , ,
si g nifi c ant an d terrib le i nstan c e bein g that u nderly i n g the
Mornin g Star s a c rifi c e o f the S kidi Pawnee wh i c h li ke the , ,
s imila r ri t e o f the K a nd hs ( or Khonds ) o f I ndia c ons isted in ,
the s a c rifi c e o f a V i rg in c ommonly a c a p tive from a hostile
,
tribe whose body was torn to p ie c es and bu ried in the field s
,
fo r the ma g i c al fru c t ifi c at io n o f the g rain 29
O ne o f the most
.
roman t i c stories o f the West i s o f the deed o f Pe t ale sha ro a ,
S kidi warrior o f renown 58
. A C oman c he m aiden w a s about to
be sa c rifi c ed a c c ord in g to c u stom when P e t ale sh aro ste p p ed
forward c u t the thon g s whi c h bou nd the c a p tive de c la rin g
, ,
that su c h s a c rifi c es mu st be abolished and bea rin g her th rou g h
,
the c rowd o f his tribesmen p la c ed her u p on a horse and c o n
,
v e y e d her to the borders o f her o w n trib al territories This wa s .
in t he early p art of the n ineteenth c entu ry and it is s aid that ,
h is a c t p u t an end t o the rite .
I n warlike zeal an d enterp rise the I ndian s o f the Pl ains
were no whit i nferior to the b raves o f the E ast The c omin g .
o f t he horse , p resumably o f S p anish introdu c t ion added wo n ,
d e rfu lly to the mob ili t y o f th e I ndian c am p an d O p ened to ,
n a t ive d arin g a new field ,
that o f horse-stealin g ; so t ha t t he
man who su c c es sfully stole his enemy s horses was li t tle les s
’
’
d istin g u ished t han he who took hostile s c al p s The I nd ian s .
P LA T E X I V
Pe n c il s k etc h by C ha rl e s K n ifec hie f rep re s e nti ng
,
t he s c a ff o ld u s e d b t he Sk i d i Pawn e e in t h e s a c ri fi c e
y
to t he Mo rn i n g Star Se e Note 5 8 ( p p 30 3
. .
By c ou rt e s y o f D r Me l vin R G il more
. . .
TH E G RE AT P LA I N S 77
wars were really in the natu re o f elaborate feuds g ivin g O p p o r ,
t u n it y for the dis p l ay o f p rowes s and t he winnin g o f fame like ,
the c hival ry o f the kni g h t-errant ; they were rarely intentional
a g g res sions Nor wa s I ndi an life wan t in g in c om p lex ri t u al s
.
for t he ma kin g o f p ea c e and the s p read o f a sense of b rotherhood
from tribe t o t ribe U nder t he g reat tutela g e o f Natu re noble
.
and beau t ifu l c eremonies were c reated h avin g at their hea rt,
truths u niversal to m an kind ; and nowhere in Ameri c a were
su c h mysteries loftier and more im p ress ive than amon g the
tribes o f the Great Plain s .
II . AN ATHAPA S CAN PANTH E ON 3
O f all the g reat sto c ks o f the Plains the A tha p as c an tribes
( with t he ex c e p tion o f the N avaho ) show the lea st n ative a d
van c ement The no rthern A tha p as c an s o r Tinne tribes in
.
, ,
p a rti c u la r while g ood hu nters and traders a re fa r from wa r
, ,
like even in self defen c e an d the i r a rts a re inferior to the
,
—
,
g eneral level o f the Plain s eo
p p les T h e ideas o f these tribes
.
a re c orres p ondin g ly nebu lou s and c onfu sed Father Je t t é .
,
who has made a stu dy o f the mind o f the Y u kon I ndians s ays ,
“
o f them that wherea s there is a c ertain u niformity in the
” “
p ra c ti c es o f these p eo p le there
,
a re very few p oints of belief
c ommon t o several individu als and these a re o f the va g u est
,
”
kind . A n d h e and other ob servers fin d a c ertain em p tines s
i n t he ri t es o f the far north a s if the I ndian s themselves had
,
forg otten their real si g nifi c an c e .
Fa t her Je t t é g ives a g eneral an alysi s o f the Y u kon p antheon .
The Tinne he s ays a re in c a p able of c on c eivin g really s p i ritu al
, ,
sub stan c es but they thin k o f a kind o f aeriform flu id c a p abl e
, ,
o f endles s transformations visible and invisib le at will p ene
, ,
t ra t in g all thin g s and p assin g wherever they wis h ; an d thes e
a re the embodiments o f S p i ritu al p ower There is little that i s
.
p ersonal and little th at is friendly in these p oten c i es ; the reli g
ion o f the Tinne i s a reli g ion o f fear .
78 N O R TH AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
The fou r g reater s p irits amon g these p owers are Man of
C old Man o f Heat Man o f Wind and a S p irit o f Pl a g u e
, , ,
’
( T ena -ranide
) the evil
,
t hat affl i c ts m an s body known by ,
m any names and a p p ea rin g in many form s Man o f C ol d .
“
rei g ns du rin g the winter months c au ses the frost and the ,
snow kills p eop le by freezin g them to d eath takes p os session
, ,
o f the body at dea t h and faithfu lly c overs the grave o f the
,
”
Tena with a shrou d o f snow Man o f Heat i s the foe o f C old
.
,
whom he h as c onquered in the su mmer a s he su c c u mb s in ,
tu rn du rin g the season o f c old 39
He i s more friendly to m an
.
than i s Cold but still mu st b e ke p t in c he c k for he t o o
, , , ,
stifles and suffo c ates when the c han c e i s offered him W i nd .
b rin g s death and destru c tion in storm ; while Tena -ranid e i s
Dea t h itself stal kin g the earth and ever i n wait fo r m an ,
“
l iterally says Father Je t t é the name mean s the thing for
, ,
” “ ”
man that is the thin g that kills m an
, ,
.
I t i s obviou s enou g h th at here we h ave the worl d-s c heme o f
a p eop le for whom the shifts of n atu re a re the all-i m p ortant
events o f life C han g es o f season an d weather a re g reat and
.
sudden in the c ontinental interior o f North A meri c a be c omin g ,
more p erilou s and stri kin g a s the A r c ti c zone i s a p p roa c hed ;
and so we find as we m i g ht ex p e c t th at the p eo p les o f the
, ,
northern inland make Heat and C ol d an d Windy Storm fore
most o f their g od s with the g risly form o f ever-strikin g Death
,
for thei r attendant B elow these g reater s p i rits there i s a
.
mu ltitu de o f c onfu sed and p hantom p owers There a re sou ls 2°
.
“ ”
o f men and animals the sou l wh i c h i s next to the body
,
“
and makes it live ; there a re the s i mila r sou ls o f those who a re
”
be c omin g a g ain or awaiting rein c a rnation ;
,
18
finally there ,
i s a stran g e S h adow-world o f doub les not only for men and ,
“
animal s but for some i nanimate obj e c ts The Y ega ( p ic
, .
” “
tu re, a s the doubl e i s c alled i s a p rote c tin g ,
s p irit j ealou s and revengefu l whose mi ssion is no t to avert
, ,
harm from the p erson or thin g whi c h it p rote c ts but to p u nis h
”
the ones who harm o r misu se it When a man i s to d ie hi s
.
,
80 N O R TH A M E R I C AN M YT H O LO G Y
III . THE G R EAT G O DS O F TH E PLA I NS
O n the p lains there is a m aj esti c c om p letenes s o f almost
every view o f earth and S ky There a re no valley walls to .
narrow t he horizon ; there a re no forests to hou se men from
t h e heavens The c ir c le o f the horizon is c om p le t e and whole
.
,
and the dome o f the S ky where the rainbow forms frequently
,
in p erfe ct a rc is va st and u ndiminished To men a c c u stomed
,
.
to t he b road s p a c es and sim p le l ines o f su c h vis ion the b rilliant ,
blue o f p redominantly su nny s kies the g reen o f the summer ,
p rairie s ,
the s p arklin g wh ite o f the winter p lains the worl d ,
seemed at on c e c olos sal an d i ntelli g ible I ts p lan wa s the p lan .
o f their o wn lod g es : a flat an d c i r c ular base over whi c h w a s
hun g the tent o f the S kies with door to the east the d ire c tion
, ,
“ ”
of the risin g su n I f you g o on a hi g h hill s aid a Pawnee
.
,
“
p riest ,
and look arou nd you will s ee the S ky tou c h in
, g the
earth o n every S ide and within thi s c irc u lar en c losu re the p eop le
,
”
dwell . The lod g es o f men were made o n the s ame p lan to ,
rep resent the c ir c le whi c h Father Heaven h as m ade for the
”
d w ellin g-p la c e of all the p eop le ; and in m any tribes the c am p , ,
form was also c ir c u la r the ti p i s bein g ran g ed in a g reat rin g
, ,
wi t hin whi c h ea c h c lan ha d its as si g ned p os ition .
The g reat g od s of men in su c h a worl d form a n atu ral in ,
deed a n inevi t able hiera rc hy Su p reme over al l is Fa t her
,
.
Heaven whose abode is the h i g hest c ir c le o f the V isible u ni
,
verse Tirawa-at iu s is his Pawnee name All the p owers in
.
6
.
heaven and o n earth are derived from him ; he is father o f al l
thin g s visible and invisible and father o f all the p eo p le p e r
, ,
p e t u a t in g the life o f m an kind throu g h the g ift o f c hild ren .
The Pawnee symbols o f Tir awa a re white fe at he rdo wn t y p i ,
fy in g t he fl e ec y c lou d s o f the u p p er heaven s and hen c e the
c loud -bearin
g winds and the b reath o f life and in fa c e —
,
p aintin g a blue
, line d rawn a r c h -li ke from C heek to c heek over
t he b row with a strai g ht line down the nose whi c h sy m bolizes
,
the p ath by whi c h life des c end s from above Y et the Pawnee .
P LA T E X V
Po rt ra it o a Paw n ee p ri es t b eari ng
f T ahiru ssawic hi, ,
in h is hand s an e ag l e-p l u m e wa nd symbo l o f Moth e r
,
Ea rth a nd a ratt l e m a rk ed w ith b l u e line s e mb l e m at i c o f
,
t he Sk
y .A ft e r 2 2 xf R B E
p,
a rt 2 Pl,
at e LXXXV
THE G R E AT P LA I N S 81
a re n o t anth ro p omor p hi c in thei r ideas The white ma n .
s p eaks o f a Heavenly Father ; we s a y Tirawa-at iu s the Father ,
a bove but we do not thin k of Tira w a as a p erson
,
We think o f .
Tirawa as in everythin g a s t he Power whi c h has a rran g ed and ,
thrown down from above every t hin g t hat man needs What the .
p ower above T i r aw a
,
-at iu s i s li ke no o ne knows ; no o ne ha s
, ,
”
been t here .
The p riest who made this rema rk also s aid : At the c rea
tion o f the worl d it w a s a rran g ed t ha t t here shou l d be lesser
p owers T .i ra wa -a t iu s t he mi g hty p ower c ou ld no t c ome nea r
, ,
to man therefore lesser p owers were p ermitted They were to
,
.
”
mediate between m an and Tirawa Th e Su n Fa t her and Earth .
Mother were the t wo foremost o f these les ser p owers whose ,
u nion b rin g s forth all the movin g p a g eantry o f l ife The Morn .
in g Sta r the heral d o f the Su n i s s c ar c ely les s im p or t ant
, ,
.
The Winds from the fou r qu arters o f the world the life-g ivin g ,
V egetation Water the Hea rth -Fi re
, ,
all these are p owers —
c allin g for veneration I n the interm ed iate heavens below
.
,
’
Su n an d Moon yet above m an s rea c h a re the b ird messen
, ,
g ers w i th the E a g le at the i r head ea c h with it s s p e c ial wis dom
, ,
a nd g u idan c e Here too dwel l the V is ions wh i c h des c end to
.
, ,
the d reamer g ivin g him revel ations dire c t from the hi g her
,
p owers ; an d here the d read Thu nder win g s his stormy c ou rse .
With little variation these deities Heaven E ar t h Su n
,
-
, , ,
Moon Mornin g Sta r Wind Fire Thu nder
, ,
form the c o m
, ,
m o n p an t heon of the Plains tribes The a g ri c u ltu ral tribes .
,
a s t he Pawnee and Mandan I nd ians g ive t he C orn Mother ,
a p rominent p l a c e A nimal -g ods the Elders Of t he animal
.
,
kinds are im p or t ant a c c ord in g to the valu e o f the animal a s
,
g ame o r a s a symbol o f natu ral p rowes s T h e E a g le is su p reme .
amon g bird s ; t he B ea r the B u ff alo the Elk amon g qu ad , , ,
r u p e d s ; while the C oyote a p p ea rs in p la c e of the R abbit a s the
a r c h t ri c kster The anim als however a re not g ods in any
-
.
, ,
tru e sense for they belon g t o that lesser realm o f c reation
,
whi c h with man S ha res i n the u niversa l life o f the world
, ,
.
82 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
IV . THE LI F E O F THE W O R L D
I t has re c ently been mu c h the c u stom o f wr i ters dealin g
with I ndian beliefs t o asser t t ha t the c on c e p tion of a Great
S p irit o r G rea t Mystery is im p orted by whi t e tea c hers that ,
the u n t utored I ndian knows no su c h bein g ; the u nivers ality
o f t he ea rlier trad ition a s to the native existen c e o f this idea i s
reg arded as o f little c onsequen c e almost as a stu died mis i n ,
t e rp re t at io n Nevertheles s when we find su c h definite co n
.
,
c e p t io n s as that of K it s h i Manito amon g the A l g onqu ian s o r
Tirawa-at iu s in Pawnee reli g ion o r even su c h indefinite ones ,
’ “
a s that o f the C a rrier I ndian s Y u t t o e re ( that wh i c h i s o n
we be g in to qu es t ion the truth o f the modern asser
t ion A s a m atter o f fa c t there is hardly a tribe that does not
.
,
p osses s its belief i n wh at may very p ro p erly be c alled a G reat
S p irit o r Great Mystery o r Master o f L ife Su c h a bein g is
, ,
.
,
no doubt seldom o r never c on c eived anth rop omorp hi c ally
, ,
seldom if ever a s a formal p ersonali t y ; but if these p re co n c e p
t ions o f the white man be avoided and the Great S p i rit be ,
j ud g ed by what he does and the manner in whi c h he i s
a p p roa c hed his d i ff eren c e from the Su p reme De i ty o f the
,
whi t e man i s not so a p p arent .
Prob ably the Siou an c on c e p tion o f Wakan da the Mystery ,
that i s in all life and all c reation h as been a s c arefu lly studied
,
as any I ndian reli g iou s idea 3
I n g eneral Wa kanda i s the
.
,
Siou an equ ivalent o f the Al g onqu ian Manito not a bein g bu t ,
an animatin g p ower o r o ne o f a series o f animatin g p owers
,
’
whi c h are the invisible but p otent c au ses o f the whol e world s
“ ”
l ife. All the I nd ians s ays De Smet o f the A s sin ibo i n
, , ,
“
admi t the existen c e o f the G reat S p irit v iz o f a Su p rem e ,
.
,
B ein g who g overns all the im p ortant a ff airs o f life and who ,
manifes t s his a c tion in the most ordinary events Every .
s p rin g at the fi rst p eal o f thu nder whi c h they c all t he vo ice
, ,
of the Gr ea t S i r it s ea k i n
p p g fr o m the clo u ds t he A ssinibo i ns o ffer,
i t sa c rifi c es Thunder next to the sun i s thei r g reat
, ,
84 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
A man wou ld t ake his p i p e and g o alone to the hills ; there he
would silen t ly offer smoke and utter the all W o nda ho
c a l
e !
,
while the movin g c au se t he p u rp ort o f hi s p rayer wou l d
, ,
remain u nex p ressed in word s 30
I f his stres s o f feelin g was g reat
.
,
he would leave his p i p e on t he g rou nd where his a p p eal ha d
been made . Women d id not u se the p i p e when p rayin g ;
thei r a p p eals were made d ire c tly without any in t ermedi a ry
, .
Few if any words were u sed ; g enerally the sorrowfu l or bu r
,
‘
d e n e d woman sim p ly c alled on the mysteriou s p ower she b e
lie v e d to have c ontrol o f al l thin g s to know all des ires al l
, ,
”
need s and to be able to s end the re q u ired hel p
,
.
Th e mere quotation o f I ndian utteran c es the mere de sc rip ,
tion o f thei r s im p le rites o u t -tell all c ommentary Y et th e
,
.
testimony o f o ne whose fi rst a nd native edu c ation was i n thi s
“
belief may well be a p p ended The wors hi p o f the g reat ‘
s ays D r E astman wa s s ilent solitary free from
.
, , ,
all self seekin g I t was s ilent be c au se all s p ee c h i s o f ne c ess ity
-
.
,
feeble and im p erfe c t ; therefore the sou ls o f my an c estors a s
c e n de d to God in word les s adoration I t wa s solitary be c au s e
.
,
they believed that He i s nearer to u s in solitu de an d there ,
were no p riests authorized to c ome between a man an d hi s
Maker None mi g ht exhort o r c onfes s o r in any way meddl e
.
with the reli g iou s ex p erien c e o f another A mon g u s all men .
were c reated sons of God an d stood ere c t as c ons c iou s o f thei r ,
d ivinity O u r faith mi g ht not be formu lated in c reed s nor
.
,
forc ed u p on any who were u nwillin g to re c eive it ; hen c e there
wa s no p rea c hin g p roselytin g nor p erse c ution neither were
, , ,
there any s c o ff ers o r atheists There were no tem p les o r shrines
.
amon g u s s ave those o f n atu re Being a n atu ral m an the I n
.
,
d ian was intensely p oeti c al He wou ld deem it s a c rile g e to
.
build a hou se for Him who m ay be met fa c e to fa c e in the
mysteriou s shadowy aisles o f the p rimeval forest o r o n th e
, ,
sunlit bosom o f vi rg in p rai ries u p on dizzy s p ires an d p inna
,
c les of naked ro c k and yonder in the j eweled vau lt o f the ni ht
, g
s k y ! He who enrobes Himself in filmy vei ls o f c lou d there o n
,
PLA T E XV I
Rawh id e i mag e o f a T h und e rb ird fo r u se a s a h e ad
ba nd o rn am e nt in c e re mo n i a l da n c e s T he i mage is
.
b e ad ed an d pa i nted t he z ig za g lin e s re pre s e nt ing t he
,
light ning iss u i ng from t he h e art o f t he T hu nd erb ird .
Se e Not e 32 ( p p 2 8 7
. a nd c om p a re Pl ate s III ,
V I XI I X X II XXI V X XVI an d F i g u re 1 Afte r
, , , , ,
.
1 4 AR B E p a rt 2 p 9 6 9
, ,
. .
THE G R E AT P LA I N S 85
the rim of the vis ible worl d where o u r Great Grandfather Su n -
kindles hi s evenin g c am p -fi re He who rides u p on the ri g orou s
,
wi nd of the north o r b rea t hes forth H is s p irit u p on aromati c
,
sou t hern ai rs whose wa r-c anoe i s l au n c hed u p on m aj esti c
,
”
rivers and inl an d seas He need s no les ser c athed ral !
V . MED I CI N E ” 4
To m ake the im p erson al an d p erva sive life n atu re more o f
“ ”
a rti c ul arly hi s o w n the I ndian seeks his p ersonal med i c ine
p ,
half t alisman half symbol U su ally t he med i c ine is revealed
,
.
i n a fas t indu c ed vision o r in a d ream or in a reli g iou s ini t ia
-
, ,
tion I t t hen be c omes a p ersonal tutel ary whose emb lem i s
.
“ ’ ”
borne in its p osses sor s med i c ine b ag - to whi c h mi ra c u lou s
“
p o w ers a re often attributed A s kin o f a weasel
. head s an d ,
bodies o f different b ird s stu ffed ima g es made o f wood and stone , ,
o f bead s worked u p on s kin ru de d rawin g s o f bea rs o f buffalo
, ,
bu lls wolves serp ents o f monsters th at have no n ame nor
, , , ,
ever h ad an existen c e in fa c t everythin g anim ate and in anim a t e
,
i s u sed a c c ord in g to the su p erstition and belief o f the indi
,
”
vidu al This obj e c t c ontinu es Father De Smet is envel
.
, ,
o p ed in several folds o f s kin with a lo c k o f some de c eased rel a
,
’
t iv e s hai r and a small p ie c e o f tob a c c o en c losed and the whole
p l a c ed in a p a rfl e c h e [
buf falo s ki n stri pp ed o f hai r an d
stre t c hed over a frame] s a c k neatly orn amented and frin g ed ,
and thi s c om p oses t he a rc anu m o f the med i c ine-s a c k Thi s .
s a c k i s never O p ened i n the p resen c e Of any o n e u nles s the ,
owner o r some o f hi s family fall d an g erou sly ill when it i s ,
taken o u t and p la c ed at the head o f hi s bed and t he ai d o f the
Great S p i rit i nvoked th rou g h it O rdina rily t hi s s a c k is o p ened.
i n se c ret ; the medi c ine smoked and invoked and p rayers an d
s a c rifi c es m ad e in its p resen c e and th rou g h it a s a tan g ible , ,
mediu m to the Great S p i ri t w ho i s u n known and invisible
,
.
“ ”
The I ndian s medi c ine i s i n fa c t a symbol o f su p erhuman
’
, ,
p ower j u st a s his p i p e is a p ortab le a lta r o f s a c rifi c e ; h avin g
,
86 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
these a rti c les wi t h him he is equ i p p ed for all ord ina ry reli g iou s
,
servi c e As t he medi c ine was so often revealed in vision so
.
,
i t s p o t en c ies were p a r t ly to extend the knowled g e o f it s owner
by g ivin g him g uid an c e in the hou r o f need I ndeed the fun .
,
’
d am e nt al demand s u nderlyin g the I ndian s u se of his medi c ine
were fi rst for cla irvo ya n ce the p ower to see behind the
, , ,
s c reen o f a p p ea ran c es and to g ive m an a lon g er time for ad a p
t a t io n to exi g en c ies than his mere p hys i c a l vis ion mi g ht allow ,
and se c ond for p r o wess the stren g th to c o p e with envi ron
, , ,
ing p erils be they human enemies elementa l d an g ers o r the
, , ,
insidiou s onslau g hts o f disease The means for thu s raisin g .
’
the tension o f m an s n ative ab ili t ies is the c on c entration o f
di ff use natu ral forc es by mean s o f the emblem be it ima g e or ,
”
reli c With the more advan c ed I ndian s su c h medi c ine i s
.
reg arded as no more th an a symbol o f the g reater Medi c ine o f
natu re thou g h stil l a symbol wh i c h i s in some va g u e sen se , ,
’
a key for the u nlo c kin g o f n atu re s l a rg er store .
“ ”
Nor is medi c ine limited to p rivate p os ses sion Every .
”
I ndian had his o wn med i c ine-b ag but tribe and c lan an d ,
reli g iou s so c iety all owned and g u a rded s a c red obj e c ts not d if
’
fering in c hara c ter from the ind ividu al s m a g i c treasu re ex c ep t ,
for t heir g reater p owers and the hi g her veneration atta c hed
to t hem .
“
The medi c i ne p oten c y of Obj e c ts is not lim i ted to p er
sonal talismans and s a c red thin g s The va riou s tokens su c h .
,
as ea g le fea t hers anim al s kins o r teeth o r c l aws with whi c h
, ,
the I ndian adorned his c ostume were also su p p osed to h ave ,
p owers whi c h entitled them to be treated with res p e c t Simi .
l a r ly the p aintin g o f fa c e and bod y o f robe and ti p i fo l
, , ,
lowed t he stri c t est o f ru les and was for the s p e c ifi c p u rp ose
,
o f in c reas in
g t he p oten c ies o f the owners of the d e c ora t ion .
The I ndian s art wa s in a c u riou s sense a p rivate p osses sion
’
.
I f a man invented a son g it was his son g and no o t her h ad a
, ,
ri g ht t o sin g it wi t hout his p ermiss ion u su ally only after —
,
a formal c eremony o f tea c hin g I n s im i la r fashion so c ieties
.
,
88 N O R TH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
t he stren g th and s p lendou r o f the mornin g su n a s h e lea p ed ,
from t he c ou c h o f night before the eyes o f the p riests o f o ld
E g yp t o
I ndeed the Pawnee ritu al In c onnex i on W It h whi c h thi s ex
,
p lanation w as g iven seem s to afford u s a g l im p se o f j u st su c h
a ri t e as mu st have been p ra c tised c entu ries before He liO p
olis w as founded o r the tem p le o f the S p hinx oriented to the
mornin g sun A ll ni g ht lon g in a c eremonial lod g e whose door
.
,
i s toward t he east p riest and do c tor c h ant their son g s ; as the
,
hou r of d awn a p p roa c hes a wat c her is set for the Mornin g ,
Star ; and t he c u rtain at the lod g e door is flu n g b a c k th at the
“
stren g t h -g ivin g rays may p enetrate within A s the Su n rises .
hi g her t he ray whi c h i s its messen g er ali g hts u p on the ed g e
, ,
o f the c entral o p enin g in the roof o f the lodge ri g ht over the ,
fi re p la c e We see the s p ot the S i g n o f its tou c h and we know
.
, ,
th at the ray is there The fi re hold s an im p ortant p l a c e in the
.
lod g e
. Father Su n is send in g life by his mes sen g er to
this c entral p l a c e in the lod g e The ray i s now c limbin g .
down into the lod g e We watc h the S p ot where it has ali g hted
. .
I t moves over the ed g e o f the O p enin g above the fi re p la c e an d
d es c end s i nto the lod g e and we sin g th at life from o u r Father
,
”
the Su n wil l c ome to u s by his messen g er the R ay All day ,
.
lon g the c ou rse o f the life—g ivin g beam i s followed with son g s
o f thankfu lnes s L ater when the Su n i s sin kin g in the wes t
.
, ,
the land i s in S h adow only o n the t o p o f the hills towa rd the
,
’
east c a n the s p ot the s i g n of the ray s tou c h b e seen
, ,
.
The ray o f Father Su n who b reathes forth life i s stand in g o n
, ,
the ed g e o f the hills We remember that in the mornin g it
.
stood o n the ed g e o f the o p enin g in the roof o f the lod g e over
the fire p l a c e ; now it stand s o n the ed g e o f the hills that like ,
the walls o f a lod g e in c lose the land where the p eop le dwell
,
.
When t he s p ot the S i g n o f the ray the mes sen g er o f
, ,
o u r Father the Su n h as left the to p s o f the hill s and p a ssed
,
from ou r S i g ht we know t hat the ray wh i c h wa s sent
to b rin g u s s t ren g th h a s now g one b a c k to the p l a c e when c e it
THE G R E A T P LA I N S 89
c ame We are than kful to ou r Father the Su n for that whi c h
.
”
he h a s sent u s by hi s ray .
O f S t onehen g e and Mem p his and Pekin and C uz c o the ,
’
mos t an c ient tem p les of the world s oldest c ivil izations thi s ,
ri t u al i s s t ran g ely and ri c hly reminis c ent Fa r an t erior to the .
olden tem p les mu st h ave been su c h s h rines as the s a c red if
’
tem p ora ry lod g es o f t he I nd ian s worshi p within whi c h the ,
’
d aily movements o f the su n s ray were wat c hed by fai t hfu l
H
‘
riests oru s o f t he mornin g R é o f the midd ay A t u m of
p , ,
t he su nset and by whi c h t he firs t inven t ion o f t he g nomon ,
and hen c e the beg innin g s o f the measu red c alend ar were su g ,
ested Who rememberin t he s c u l p t u res of A meno his I V
g .
, g p ,
wit h rays rea c hin g down from the D ivine D is k t o rest h and s of
bened i c t i on u p on the kin g but wil l feel the movin g analog y
,
’
o f the Pawnee c on c e p tion of the R ay the Su n s messen g er , ,
tou c hin g his worshi p p ers with l ife ! O r indeed who will fai l to , ,
’
fi nd in the I nd ian s p rayers to Father Su n the s ame beauty an d
as p iration that p ervades the p s alm s o f the hereti c kin g !
The Su n-D an c e o f the Prairie tribes i s thei r greatest a nd
most im p o rtant ritu al 39
Thi s i s an annu al festival o c c u p yin g
.
, ,
u su ally ei g ht d ays and it i s u ndertaken in c onsequ en c e o f a
, ,
v o w som etimes fo r an es c a p e from imminent death es p e c i ally
, ,
i n battle ; sometimes in ho p es o f su c c es s in wa r ; sometimes a s
’
the resu l t of a woman s p romis e to the Sun-God for the re co v
e ry of the si c k . I n the main the c eremonies a re d ramati c
, ,
c onsistin g of p ro c essions symboli c d an c es the re c ou ntin g and
, ,
ena c tment of deed s o f valou r and the fu lfilment o f vows of
,
va riou s kinds u ndertaken du rin g the yea r The l ast an d .
c en t ral featu re i s the bu ildin g of a g reat lod g e symbol i c o f ,
the home o f m an in the c entre o f whi c h is ere c ted a p ole a s
, ,
an emblem o f ea rth and heaven sometimes c ru c iform some , ,
times forked at the t o p and adorned with symbols ty p ifyin g
,
the p owers of the u niverse Wa rriors u nder v o w were for
.
merly atta c hed to thi s p ole by ro p es fa stened to s kewers in
s e rt e d u nder the mu s c les o f b a c k and c hest and they d an c ed ,
90 N O RT H A M E R I CA N MYT H O LO G Y
about it u n t il t he la c erated body wa s freed ; but this and 21
o t her forms o f self—tortu re a kind o f atonement to the l ife
g
ivin g Sun for t he life he had s p a red were not essential to
the c eremony and in some tribes were never p erm itted ;
,
amon g t he Kiowa the mere a p p earan c e o f b lood du r i ng the
c eremony was re g arded a s an ill omen .
Not only were vows o f atonement and p ro p it i at i on fu lfilled
on the o cc asion o f the Sun -Dan c e but the d ead o f the yea r
,
were mou rned b abes h ad thei r ea rs p ier c ed by the medi c ine
,
men youn g men who h ad d istin g u ished themselves were given
,
form al re c og nition and tribal and in t ertribal a ff airs and p ol i
,
c ies were dis c u ssed for vis itin g tribes were Often p arti c i p ants
, .
The c entral featu re however wa s a kind o f c osmi c th anks
, ,
g ivin g in,
whi c h the p eo p le th rou g h t
,
he Su n -Symbol were ,
b rou g ht dire c tly into rel ation with Father Su n The p rayer .
o f a c hief d ire c tin g th i s c eremony in a re c ent p erform an c e
,
o f it g
,
ives its meanin g p erha p s more fu lly than c ou l d any
c ommen t ary
“
Great Su n Power ! I am p ray i n g for my p eop le th at they
may be ha p p y in the su mmer and that they may l ive th rou g h
the c old of winter Many are si c k and in want Pity them
. .
and let them su rvive Grant th at they m ay live lon g and have
.
abundan c e May we g o th rou g h these c eremonies c orre c tly
.
,
a s you taught o u r forefathers to do in the d ays that a re p ast .
I f we make mistakes p ity u s Hel p u s Mother E arth ! for we .
,
de p end u p on you r g oodnes s L et there b e rain to water the
.
p rairies that the g rass may g row lon g and the berries be abu n
,
d ant 0 Mornin g Star ! when you look down u p on u s g ive u s
.
,
p ea c e and refresh i n g S lee p G reat . S p i rit ! bles s o u r c hild ren ,
friends and visitors throu g h a ha p p y l ife May ou r trails l ie
,
.
strai g ht and level before u s L et u s l ive to be o ld We a re all
. .
you r c hild ren and a s k these thin g s w i th g ood hearts (Mc ”
C lin t o c k The Old N o r th Tra il p
, ,
.
“
We are all you r c hild ren and a s k these thin g s w i th g ood
”
hear t s ! I s not this the es sen c e of reli g iou s faith !
P L A T E XV I I
S i ou x d raw i ng re p re s e nti ng t he
, Su n-Da n c e p o le
a n d to rtu re s O f de v o t e e s A ft e r I R EE,
( see p
. [ I
Pl at e X L VII I . Se e Not e 6 1 ( p .
92 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
O n t he Grea t Plains a rema rkable c eremony known to many ,
t r bes re p resen t ed t he u nion o f Heaven and Earth and the
i
,
b irth o f L ife The fullest a c c ou nt o f it is p reserved from the
.
Pawnee t hou g h t he Sioux and O mah a tribes h ave c ontributed
,
many elemen t s o f the ritu al The H a ko ( s acr a o r s a c red o b
.
,
em loyed in t he c eremony ) a s the Pawnee rite is c alled
j e c t s
, p , ,
is a d rama t i c p rayer for life and c hild ren for health and p o s ,
t erit y I t is dire c ted to the u nivers al p owers to Father Heaven
.
,
and t o Mo t he r Ea rth and the terres
'
a n d the c eles t ial p owers ,
trial p owers with the beautifu l ima g ery o f bi rds as the inter
,
m e d ia rie s between ea r t h and heaven 40
The c entral symbols o f
.
the mystery for mystery it is in the fu ll c las si c al sen se
,
are the win g ed wand s whi c h re p resent the E a g le the hi g hest ,
o f t he bi rd mes sen g ers ; a p lume of white fe a t h e rdo w n t yp i ,
fy ing the fl e e c y c lou d s o f heaven an d hen c e the wind s and the
,
” 60
b reath o f life b reathed down from above ; and an ea r o f
,
“ ”
maize symbol o f Mother Corn d au g hter of Heaven an d
, ,
Earth .
“
The ea r o f c orn s aid the p riest
,
re p resents the su p er
,
natu ral p ower th at dwells in H Ura ru the ea rth whi c h b rin g s
’
,
for t h the food that su stain s life ; so we s p ea k o f the ea r a s
’ 35
h At ira mother b reathin g for t h life
,
The p ower in the earth
.
whi c h enables it to b rin g forth c omes from above ; for t hat
reason we p aint the ea r o f c orn with blu e The life o f m an
.
de p ends u p on the E a rth Tirawa-at iu s works throu g h it Th e
. .
kernel is p lanted within Mother E arth an d she b rin g s forth
the ear o f c orn even as c hild ren a re beg otten an d born o f
,
women . We g ive the c ry o f reveren c e to Mother Corn s he ,
who brin g s the p romise o f c hild ren o f stren g th o f l ife o f, , ,
”
p lenty and o f p ea c e
, .
I t is im p ossible to stu dy the Hako c eremonial without bein g
s t ru c k by the m any analo g ies whi c h it a ff ord s fo r what i s known
o f the Eleu sinian Mysteries I n the l atter a s i n the H a ko an
.
, ,
e ar o f c orn was the su p reme symbol while the c entral d ram a
,
o f both w as the ima in
g g o f a s a c red marr i a g e o f H eaven an d
THE G R E AT P LA I N S 93
E arth and the bi rth o f a Son who symbolized the renewal o f ,
l ife p hys i c al and s p i ritu al in the p a rt i c i p ants The H a ko
, ,
.
d id not a s the Eleu s inian Mysteries d id c onvey a d i re c t p rom
, ,
i se o f l ife in a futu re world ; but this is only a fu rther ste p in
symbolism easy to take and i t is by no means beyond reason,
to p resu m e that the g rea t reli g iou s mysteries o f the an c ients
took thei r ori g in from c eremonies o f the typ e for whi c h the
I nd ian ri t e fu rnishes u s p rob ably o u r p u rest an d most p rimitive
exam p le .
VI II . THE M ORN I NG S TAR 14
A fter the Su n t he most im p ortant o f the c elestial d ivinities
a mon g t he Plains t ribes i s the Morn in g Sta r ( V enu s ) The .
Pawnee p riest Tah iru ss awic h i des c ribes him thu s
, ,
“
Th e Mornin g Sta r is o n e o f the les ser p owers L ife and .
s t ren g th an d fru itfu lnes s are with the Mornin g Sta r We a re .
reverent toward i t O u r fa t hers p erform ed s a c red c eremon ies
.
in it s honor The Mornin g Star is l ike a m an ; he is p ainted red
.
all over ; th at i s t he c olor o f l ife He is c l ad in legg in g s and a .
’
robe i s wra p p ed about h im O n his head is a soft downy ea g le s
.
feather p ainted red Thi s feather re p resents the soft li g ht
,
.
,
c lou d that is hi g h in t he heavens an d the red is the tou c h o f a ,
ray o f the c omin g su n The soft downy feather i s the symbol
.
,
”
o f b rea t h and life .
Thi s is the sta r for whi c h the Pawnee wat c h as the herald o f ,
“
the su n in the g reat ritu al c hant to the solar g o d
,
Th e sta r .
c omes from a g reat di s t an c e too far away for u s to s e e the
,
p la c e where it sta rts A t fi rst we c a n ha rdly s e e it ; we los e
.
s i g ht o f i t it i s so far O ff ; then we se e it a g ain fo r it is c omin g
, ,
s tead ily toward u s all the time We wat c h it a p p roa c h ; it .
”
c omes nea rer and nearer ; its li g ht g rows b ri g hter and b ri g hter .
A hymn is sun g to the sta r A s we s in g the Morni ng Sta r
.
,
c omes st i l l nearer and now we se e him standin g there in the
h eavens a stron g man shinin g b ri g hter an d b ri g hter The
,
.
s oft
p lu me i n h is hai r moves with the b reath o f the new d ay ,
94 N O R TH A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
and t he ray o f t he su n tou c hes it with c olor As he stands there .
s o bri g h t he i s brin g in g u s stren g th an d new life
,
As we look .
u p on h im he g rows les s b ri g ht he i s re c edin g g oin g b a c k to h i s
, ,
dwellin g p la c e when c e he c ame We watc h h im vanishin g p as s
.
,
in g o u t o f o u r si g ht He ha s left with u s the g ift o f life whi c h
.
”
Tiraw a at iu s sent h im to bestow
- .
Formerly the S kid i Pawnee were a c c u stomed to s a c rifi c e a
c a p tive vir g in to the Mornin g Sta r her body being u sed ,
ma g i c ally to fertilize the field s o f maize A similar as so c iation .
o f ideas t hou g h o n the p lane o f mythi c p oetry rather than o n
,
that o f barba rou s rite seems to u nderlie the B la c kfoot leg en d
,
“ ”
o f Po i a ,
S c arfa c e the Sta r Boy
,
.
L on g ag o a c c ord in g to this story a m a i den F eather Woman
, , , ,
wa s slee p in g in the g ras s beside her ti p i Th e Mornin g Star .
loved her and sh e be c ame with c hild Then c eforth S h e su f
,
.
fe re d the d isd ain and rid i c u le o f her tribesfol k u nti l o ne d ay , ,
a s S he went to the river fo r water she met a youn g man who ,
“
p ro c laimed himself her hu sband the Mornin g Star
,
She sa w .
in his hair a yellow p lume an d in hi s han d a j un i p er b ran c h
,
w i th a s p ider we b h an g in g from o ne end He was tall and .
strai g ht and his h air wa s lon g an d shinin g His beautifu l .
c lothes were Of soft-tanned s kin s an d from them c ame a ,
”
fra g ran c e o f p ine and sweet g ras s Mornin g Sta r p la c ed the
.
fea t her in her h air and g ivin g her the j u ni p er b ran c h d i re c ted
, ,
her to S hut her eyes ; she held the u p p er stran d o f the s p ider s ’
we b in her h and an d p l a c ed her foot o n the lower an d in a ,
moment she wa s trans p orted to the s k y Mornin g Sta r led her .
to the lod g e o f hi s p arents the Sun and the Moon ; an d there
,
s he g ave b irth to a son Star B oy ( the p lanet Ju p iter ) The
,
.
Moon her mother-in-l aw g ave her a root d i g g er s ayin g
, , , ,
“
This shou ld be u sed only by p u re women Y o u c an d ig all .
kind s o f roots w i th it but I warn yo u no t to d ig u p the la rg e
,
”
tu rni p g rowin g near the home o f S p ider Man C u riosity .
eventu ally g o t the better o f c aut i on ; Feather Woman with th e ,
a id o f t wo c ranes u p rooted the forb i dden tu rn i p and fou n d
, ,
96 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
( Fea t her Woman ) w a s fi rst d rawn u p to the S ky and then let
do w n a g ain t o ear t h I t i s the hole throu g h whi c h she g azed u p on
.
ea r th after di g g in g u p the forb idden tu rni p I ts li g ht i s the
,
.
radian c e from the home o f the Su n God shinin g th rou g h The .
half c i r c le o f s t a rs to the east ( Northern C rown ) is the lod g e
o f t he S p ider Man and the five b ri g ht stars j u st beyond ( in the
,
c onstellation o f Her c ules ) a re his fi v e fin g ers with whi c h he s p u n
,
the web u p on whi c h So at s a k i was let down from the s k y
,
.
C oron a B orealis is an im p ortant c onstellation in the mythi c
lore o f nearly all the tribes of the Plain s A c c ord in g to the.
Pawnee it is a c i rc le o f c hiefs who are the g u a rdian s o f t he
,
mys t i c S i g n o f Tirawa at iu s and the Pawnee so c iety of Ra rit e
,
sharu ( c hiefs in c h arg e o f the rites g iven by Tiraw a) p aint thei r
fa c es with the b lu e l ines re p resentin g the a rc o f heaven and the
ath of des c ent and wear u p on thei r head s the fea t h e r do w n
p ,
“
symbol o f c eles t ial l i fe The member s o f thi s so c iety do not
.
”
d an c e and s in g ; they talk qu ietly and try to be like the stars .
U rs a Maj or an d the Ple i ades are other c onstell ations c o n
sp ic u o u s in I ndian myth The A ssiniboin re g ard the seven
.
stars o f U rs a Maj or as seven youth s who were d r i ven by p o v
e rt y to transform themselves and who rose to heaven by mean s
,
o f a S p ider s we b
’
. For th e B la c kfeet also these sta rs are seven
b rothers who h ave been p u rsu ed into th e heavens by a hu g e
bea r ( an interestin g reversal o f the E s kimo story) The Man .
d an believed thi s c onstellation to b e an ermine ; some o f the
Sioux hel d it to b e a bier followed by mou rners The Pleiades
,
.
,
“ ”
in B l a c kfoot le g end a re the lost c hild ren d r i ven by p overty
, ,
to t ake refu g e in the s k y .
Everywhere sta rs were asso c i ated w i th the dead The .
Mandan c ons idered them to be de c eased men : when a c hil d
i s born a star des c end s to ea rth in human form ; at death it
, ,
a p p ears on c e more in the heavens a s a sta r 18
A meteor wa s
.
frequently re g arded as a foreru nner o f death ; and t he Mil ky
Way as with the eastern tribes is the p ath by whi c h soul s
, ,
as c end into heaven .
THE G R E AT P LA I N S 97
IX . THE GOD S O F THE ELEMENTS ll
The ty p i c al dwellin g the Plains fo lk whe t her ti p i or ea rth
o f ,
lod g e is c i r c ul a r in g rou nd p l an and S im i larly t ribal en c am p
,
-
, , ,
men t s es p e c ially for reli g iou s o r c eremonial p u rp oses were
, ,
rou nd in form O n su c h o c c asions the en t ran c e to the lod g e
.
fa c ed the east whi c h was always the theoreti c orienta t ion O f
,
the c am p A c ros s wi t h arm s d i re c t ed towa rd t he fou r c ard i
.
,
n al p oints and c ir c um s c ribed by a c ir c le symbol izes t he Plain s
, ,
’
I nd ian s c on c e p tion o f the p h ysi c al world and at t he same tim e ,
re p resents h is an alys is of the elemental p owers o f N a t u re an d ,
hen c e o f his an alysis o f the o rg anization o f hum an so c ie t y ,
whi c h is so d ire c t ly de p en dent u p on t hese p oten c ies .
Th e c ir c le o f the horizon th e floor o f t he lod g e o f heaven ;,
the c i r c le o f the trib al en c am p m ent ; and the c ir c ul ar floor o f
the lod g e the home o f the fam i ly
,
these mi g ht be s aid to
ty p ify so m any c on c entri c s ea c h a symbol o f t he u niverse in , ,
the I ndian s thou g ht I n the H a ko the p riest draws a c i r c le
’
.
,
“
w ith hi s t o e within whi c h c ir c l e he p la c es fe at h e rd o wn
, Th e .
c ir c le re p resents a nest an d i s d rawn by the toe be c au se the
, ,
ea g le bu ild s its nest with its c l aws A lthou g h we a re imitatin g .
t he b i rd m akin g it s nest there i s another meanin g to the ac
,
tion ; we a re th inkin g o f Tir awa m a kin g the world for t he
p eo p le to l ive in I f y o u g o o n a h i g h h ill and look arou n d you
.
,
w ill see the sky tou c hin g the ea r t h o n eve ry side and withi n ,
th i s c i r c u l a r in c losu re the p eo p le live So the c ir c les we h ave .
m ade a re not only nests but they also re p resent the c ir c le ,
Tiraw a-at iu s h as m ade for the dwellin g p la c e o f all the p eo p le .
The c i r c les also stand for the kin shi p grou p the c l an and the , ,
”
tribe .
The trib al c i r c le of the O maha was divided into t wo g rou p s the ,
S ky-Peo p le o cc u p y i ng the northern and the E a rth-Peo p le the ,
southern semi-c ir c le The S ky re p resented the ma s c u line the
,
.
,
E arth the feminine element in n atu re ; the hu man ra c e w as su p
,
p osed t o be born o f the u nion o f E arth -Peo
p le and S ky -Peo le
p ;
98 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
and in t he tribe marriage was no t c u stoma ry wi t hin either o f
t h ese tw o g rou p s but only between members o f Ea rth c l an s
,
and mem b ers o f S ky c lan s E a c h g rou p also h ad its o wn c hief .
tain and c eremonial so that the whole tribe p ossessed a du al ,
org aniza t ion c orres p ond ing to the great du alis m o f natu re
,
.
J. O Dorsey
. fou nd a similar s c heme
p revalent throu g hou t
the Siou an sto c k and this s c heme he g eneral ized by the fi g u re
,
o f a qu a rtered c i r c le Th e qu a rters o f o ne half whi c h was the
.
,
side o f p ea c e were devoted res p e c tively to Ea rth and Water ;
,
the qu a rters o f t h e m as c u line o r S ky half whi c h wa s the s ide , ,
o f war were s a c red to the s p i rits o f Fi re and Air
,
Powers o f .
Ea rth Water Fi re and Air formed the g reat g rou p s o f the
, , ,
elemental g ods The D a kota n ame for the E a rth -Power i s
.
” 27
Tu n k a n
“
Boulder
,
and it S hou ld b e remembered t hat
,
stones were n o t only the materi als for the most im p o rtant o f
abori g inal im p lements but th at they p layed a n almost m a g i c al ,
a rt i n the venerated medi c ine rite o f the S weat-b ath lod e
p g .
The p riests o f the Pebb le So c iety o f the O m ah a rel ate the fol
“
lowin g myth in this c onnexion : A t the beg innin g all thin g s
were in the mind o f Wakond a A l l c reatu res in c lu din g m an .
, ,
were s p irits They moved about i n s p a c e between the ea rth
.
and the stars They were seekin g a p l a c e where they c oul d
.
c ome into a bod ily existen c e They as c ended to the s u n but .
,
the su n wa s not fitted for thei r abode They moved o n t o the .
moo n and fou nd that it also was not fitted for thei r abode .
Then t h ey des c ended to the ea rth They s aw it was c overed .
wi t h wa t er They floated th rough the air to the north the
.
,
east the south and the west and fou nd no d ry land They
, , ,
.
were sorely g rieved Su d denly from the midst o f the water u p .
rose a g reat ro c k I t bu rst into fl ames and the waters floated
.
in t o t he ai r in C lou ds D ry land a p p eared ; the g ras ses and the
.
trees g rew The hosts o f s p irits des c ended and be c ame fles h
.
and blood fed on the seed s of t he g ras ses an d the fru its o f the
,
trees and the lan d vib rated with thei r ex p res s ions o f j oy and
,
” 15
g ra t itude to Wa konda the maker o f all thin g s ,
.
100 N O RTH A M E R I C A N M YT H O LO G Y
in t o manhood a lo c k o f h ai r w a s c u t from h is c rown by t h e
,
p
ries t and
,
dedi c ated to the Thu nder Th e hai r i t mu st b e .
,
borne in mind wa s in m any ways re g a rded by the I ndian a s a
,
man s s t ren g t h and l ife F requently a lo c k o f the hai r o f a
’
.
dead relative was p reserved and if c arried by a p reg nan t
,
woman it wa s thou g ht to ensu re the reb i rth o f the dead When .
’
t he h air o n the boy s c rown g rew out on c e more a s p e c ial lo c k ,
was p ar t ed in a c i r c le from the rest and b raided by i t self , .
Up on this lo c k wa r-honou rs were worn and it wa s th i s th at ,
was t aken when the d ead enemy wa s s c al p ed I t wa s more tha n .
a symbol ; it wa s the ma g i c vehi c le o f the vital stren g th o f t h e
S l ain man 55
.
I n few I nd ian rites is t he rel ation o f the elemental p owers
to human so c iety more im p res sively Symbolized than in t h e
O mah a c eremony o f the s a c red p ole Ac c ord in g to the le g end
61
.
,
the tribe wa s th reatened with dis ru p tion and wa s holdin g a
c oun c il to determine by what mean s it c ou l d be ke p t inta c t .
D u rin g this c onferen c e a you n g hu nter lost hi s way in t h e
,
forest and in the ni g ht he c ame u p on a luminou s tree He
,
.
m ade his way home and t ol d h is father a c hief o f the tribe of , ,
h is d is c overy whereu p on the o ld m an said to t he C ou n c il
,
My so n h as seen a wonderfu l tree The Thu nder bird s c om e .
and g o u p on this tree ma kin g a trail o f fi re th at leaves fou r
,
p aths on the bu rnt g ras s tha t stret c h towa rd the fou r Wind s .
When the Thu nder b ird s ali g ht u p on the tree it bu rsts in t o
flame and the fi re mou nts t o the t o p The tree stand s bu rn in g .
,
”
but no o ne c an see the fi re ex c e p t at ni g ht I t was a g reed that .
this ma rvel wa s sent from Wa kand a The wa rriors s t ri p p ed .
,
and p ainted ran for the tree and stru c k it as if it were a n
, ,
enemy ; and after it had been felled and b rought b a c k to the
c am p fo r fou r n i ghts the c h iefs s an g the songs that had been
,
c om p osed fo r it A s a c red tent de c ked with symbols o f the
.
,
s u n was made for the tree whi c h was trimmed and ado rned
, , .
They c alled it a hum an bein g and fastened a s c al p -lo c k to it
,
fo r h ai r The tree o r p ole h ad kee p ers a p p ointed for it an d
.
, , ,
THE G R E AT P LA I N S 10 1
it be c ame the symbol o f trib al u ni t y and au t hority a tru e
p allad iu,
m whi c h wa s c a rried o n im p ortant ex c u rsion s an d
,
for whi c h an annu al rite was instituted c ommemoratin g th e
,
manner o f its d is c overy .
Perha p s the feelin g o f the Plains I nd ian for th at g reat worl d
o f n atu re whi c h su rrou nd s him may best be summed u in
p
t he B la c kfoot p rayer to the Qu a rters whi c h is re c orded by
,
Mc Clint o c k First to the West : O ver there a re the mou n
.
31
,
“
tains May you see them as lon g a s you l ive for from them
.
,
”
you mu st re c eive you r sweet p ine a s in c ense To the Nor t h
.
S t ren g th will c ome from the North May you look fo r many
.
“
yea rs u p on the Sta r th at never To the E ast : O ld
‘
a g e will c ome from below where l ies the li g ht of t he Su n . To
“
t he South : May the warm w i nd s o f the South b rin g you su c
”
c es s i n se c u rin g food .
C H A P T E R VI
T H E G R E A T P L A IN S
( Co n tinu ed)
I . ATH APA S CAN CO S MO G O N I ES 15
N no p ort i on o f the Ameri c an c ontinent i s interc ou rse of
tr i be with trib e easier than o n the Great Plains O f natu ral .
b arriers there are none and in the d ays o f the abori g inal
,
hu nter when al l the p rairie n ations s p ent a p art o f ea c h yea r
,
in p u rsu it o f the herd s o f g ame that c rossed an d re c ros sed thei r
i ll-defi ne d hu ntin g-g rou nds it wa s inev i tab le that annu ally
,
there shou ld be en c ou nters o f p eop le with p eop le and even ,
t u a lly o f idea s w i th i deas .I t was o n the Plains that the si g n
l an g u a g e wa s develo p ed and p erfe c ted a mute lingu a fra nca
, ,
serv i ng almost the ex p li c itnes s o f vo c al s p ee c h The fu nda
.
mental c eremonial s o f a c eremonial ra c e varied l i ttle from tribe
to tribe and indeed were often c onveyed from o ne p eop le to
,
another at the g reat intertrib al g atherin g s where feastin g and
,
tradin g and the re c ou ntin g Of the deed s o f heroes were the
order o f the d ay L oose c onfedera c i es were formed and it was
.
,
sometimes the c u stom for fr i endly nation s to ex c han g e c hil
d ren for a term that some mi g ht g row u p in ea c h n ation a c
q u a int e d with the l an g u age o f the other Not infrequ ently
.
t ribes o r se g ments o f tribes o f qu i te d istin ct l in g u isti c sto c ks
lived tog ether in a more o r les s c oherent n ationality sharin g ,
t he s ame territory and v i lla g es Even i n time o f war there
.
were well re c ogn i zed ru les form i ng a k i n d o f c h i val r i c c ode
, ,
whi c h obtained a g e n eral adheren c e ; and o ne o f the obv i ou s
out c omes o f I ndian wa rfa re wa s the c onstant re p len i shment of
tribal sto c ks with the blood o f adop ted c a p tives .
10 4 N O RT H A M E R I CA N MYT H OLO G Y
s is t er p u rsued a herd o f c a ribou u p into t he s k y where all ,
be c ame s t ars the Pu rsu ers ( O rion ) and the Herd ( Pleiades )
,
14
.
’
The tale o f the two boys who were followed by thei r mother s
head seems to be a Great Plain s vers ion Of the c osmo g oni c
s t ories o f the Forest R egion 37
Th e mother of the boys w a s
.
de c a p itated by her hu sb and fo r illi c it interc ou rse wi t h a se r
p ent ;
50
but the head remained al ive and g ave c hase to the
c hild ren. With c harm s re c eived from their father the boys ,
rote c ted themselves fi rst by a mou nta i n but the head tu rned
p , , ,
i t self into a w i nd and blew over it ; se c ond by a heaven ,
rea c hin g thorn -bu sh whi c h s p ran g from a d ro p of blood d rawn
,
from a wou nd in the head but the head overlea p ed it ; third
, ,
by a wall o f fi re but the head p assed throu g h it
,
62
Finally .
,
d riven into the mid st o f a la ke the elder b rother stru c k the
,
head with his knife whereu p on t wo water monsters emerg ed
,
and swallowed it I t i s easy to see i n thi s p u rsu ing head t he
.
body o f the c osmi c Titanes s the E arth Goddess over c omin g
, ,
i n tu rn ea rth veg etation and fi re an d su cc umbin g only to
, , ,
that p r i meval flood u p on whi c h the earth rests ; and it is inter
estin g to su rmise in this leg end the ori g inal o f the g ruesome
tales of c annib al head s known to tribes o f the g reater p ortion
,
o f North A meri c a .
A se c ond p a rt o f the sto ry tell s o f the adventu res o f the t wo
b rothers o ne o f whom is c a p tu red and held by a m a g i c ian
,
44
,
till he finally free s himself by p rovin g h is o wn g reater ma g i c ;
the other is sl ain by water monsters but restored by his b rother , ,
althou g h in the form o f a wolf The e p isode o f the flood an d
.
49
the d ivin g animals also a p p ears A ll these themes are wel l
.
known in A l g onqu ian myth The stories o f the j ou rney o f t he
.
t wo youn g men to the village o f sou ls known as far as t h e ,
Gulf R eg ion ; the u nivers al le g end o f the theft o f fi re ; t he
t radition o f the c reation o f li g ht ; even the familiar South
Wes t ern tale o f the as c ent of the an c estral Elders from t he
u nder to t he u p p er world ea c h and every o n e i s c ommon
,
—
amon g the northern tribes A nd p erha p s nowhere i n Ameri c a
.
THE G RE AT P LA I N S 105
i s there a more c harmin g mythi c c on c eit th an that o f the
C hi p ewy an s o f the A r c ti c B arren L ands relat i ve to the A ni ,
“
mal Ag e : A t the beg innin g there were no p eop le only ani ,
m al s ; still they resemb led hu man bein g s and they c ou l d ,
s p ea k : when the animal s c ou ld S p eak it wa s summer and when ,
” 39
they lost the p ower o f s p eakin g winter followed Here in .
d eed we h ave a p i c tu re o f the p rimeval world : the stillnes s o f
the d ark A r c ti c winter when even the animal s were mute ; the
,
lovelines s o f summer mu si c al and l ivin g with the m u lt it u
,
d in o u s voi c es o f Natu re .
II . S I O UA N CO S MOG ON I ES 15
The A s siniboin the most northerly Siou an tribe h ave a form
, ,
’
o f the story o f the mother s head but thei r o wn tales o f the
,
o ri g in s of thin g s c entre about the d ivin g animal s and the tri c k
ster hero In k t o nm i a S iou an c ou sin o f Man abozho Fu rther
, , .
to the south the Mand an al so p os sessed two c y c les o f co s
m o g o n ic myths A p p arently o f southern p rovenan c e a re the
.
leg en d s o f the storeyed u nivers e : there were fou r storeys
11
below and fou r above the earth B efore the flood men l ived .
,
i n an u nderworld vill a g e to whi c h a g ra p e-V ine extended from
,
the world above Up this fi rst the anim als then men c limbed
.
, , , ,
u ntil a very c orp u lent woman b roke the vine Next a flood .
destroyed most of the hu man ra c e A Kiowa version o f thi s .
tale tells how t he fi rst p eop l e emerg ed from a hollow c otton
wood lo g u ntil it c ame the tu rn o f a p reg nant woman who
, ,
was hel d fast and this a c c ou nts for the small nu mber o f t he
Kiowa tribe .
The se c ond Mand an c y c le evidently belongs to the more
p pro erly S iou an version o f the demiu rg i c p ai r The L ord o f .
L ife c reated the Fi rst Man who formed the ea rth o u t o f mu d
,
b rou g ht u p from the waters by a du c k A fterward the First .
Man and the L ord o f L ife qu arrelled and d ivided t he ea rth ,
between them Th e Hid ats a believe that the L ord o f L ife
.
,
10 6 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
the Ma n—Who—Never D ies lives in the R o c ky Mou ntains ;
—
,
and t hey also s ay o f t he Fi rst Man the C reator that no one
, ,
made him and t hat he i s immortal To the O ld -Woman-Who
,
.
Never Dies the Grandmother who is none other than the
- 34
, ,
Earth they as c ribe a minor r dle in the c reation ; it was she who
,
“ ”
g ave them t he two kettles whi c h a re the tribal fetish
,
d i ,
re c t in g t hat they be p reserved in memory o f the g reat waters
when c e c ame all t he animal s d an c in g When d rou g ht threat .
ens they hold a feast c eremonially u sing the two kettles and
,
p rayi n g for rain I t seems
. alto g ether p rob able that these ves
“ ”
sel s a re the bowl s o f earth and s k y and so symbolize the ,
u niverse .
The D akota tell the story o f the d rownin g o f the youn g er
b rother o f the First Man by the water monsters and of hi s ,
resu s c itation after they ha d been slain 49
He was b rou g ht to.
l ife they say by mean s o f the sweat-b ath an d it i s not fanei
, , ,
ful to c onne c t the c osmi c forc es with the symbol i sm o f the
stones ( ea rth ) and steam ( water) u sed in this rite 27
I ndeed .
,
the O maha m ake thi s symbolism definite The idea o f p e r .
m an e n ce lon g life and wisdom they ty p ify by the stone ;
, ,
“ ’
man s restless nes s his questionin g s o f fate his destru c tive
, ,
ness a re frequently symbolized by the wolf
,
and in myth
the wolf and the stone a re the two demiu rg i c b rothers west
ern du p li c ates of Flint and S a p lin g O ne o f the most inter
.
estin g o f O mah a ritu al s is that o f the Pebble So c iety sun g to ,
c ommemorate the g reat ro c k whi c h Wakand a summoned from
the waters at the beg innin g o f the world to be a home for the
, ,
animal sou ls th at wandered about in p rimitive c haos ( trans
l ated by A li c e C Flet c her in 2 7 A RB E p 570 )
.
, ,
.
Towa r d th e c o m in g of th e Su n
Th ere th e p e o p l e of e v e ry k in d g a th ere d ,
An d g re at a ni m als o f ev e ry k in d .
V e ril y all g a th e re d to g e th e r a s w e ll as p eop le
,
.
Ins ec t s a lso of e v e ry d e sc ri p t i o n ,
V e ril y a ll g ath e re d th e re to g e th e r ,
B y what m eans or m anner w e kno w no t .
10 8 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
tau g ht t he u se o f im p lements and c eremonial rites Previou s .
to their c omin g the earth wa s inhab i ted by a ra c e of p eop l e
,
so stron g that they were not afraid o f anybody but they di d
“
,
not have g ood sense ; they m ade fun o f all the g od s in heaven .
This sounds c u riou sly li ke the G reek myth o f the ra c e o f Giants ;
“
nor is the sequel u nl ike the G reek N e s aru looked down .
u p on them and wa s an g ry Ne s aru s aid : I m ade them
,
.
‘
too stron g I will not kee p them They think that they a re
. .
l ike myself I S hall destroy them but I sh all p u t away my
.
,
p peo le that I like and that a re The g i ants were
killed in a flood while the animal s and maize were p reserved
,
in a c ave Eventu ally from an ear of maize whi c h he had
.
,
raised in heaven Ne saru c reated a wom an Mother Corn
, , ,
whom he sent into the u nderworl d to deliver the p eo p le im
p risoned there and to lead them on c e more i nto the li g ht o f
,
d ay a Des c ent into Hell like that of I shta r o r Persep hone
,
o r many anoth e r C orn Goddess .
The Pawnee o f Neb ra ska tell a more c om p l i c ated tale of
fi rst thin g s with a su gg estively astrolog i c al mot i ve u nder
,
lyin g the myth 14
I n the be g inn i n g were Tirawa C hief o f
.
,
Tirawahu t the g reat c ir c le o f the heaven s
,
11
a nd A tira h i s , ,
s p ou se the Sky-V au lt A rou nd them s at the g od s in c ou n c il
,
.
,
the p la c e of ea c h a p p ointed by Tirawa The l atter s p oke to .
“
the g od s s aying : Ea c h o f you g od s I am to station i n the
,
heavens ; and ea c h o f you S hall re c eive c erta i n p owers from
me for I am about to c reate p eop le who sh all b e l ike myself
, .
They shal l be u nder you r c are I w i ll g i ve them you r land to
.
”
live u p on an d with you r assistan c e they S hal l b e c a red fo r
,
.
Then he a p p ointed the station of S aku ru the Sun in the east , , ,
to g ive li g ht and warmth ; and that o f Pah the Moon in the , ,
west to illumine the ni g ht
,
13
A lso he allotted the stations o f
.
,
“
the stars To B ri g ht Sta r the evenin g star he said
.
,
You , ,
S hall stand in the west Y ou shall be known a s Mo t her o f al l
.
”
thin g s ; for throu g h yo u all bein g s shall be c reated To Great .
“
Sta r the mornin g star he s p ake
,
Y o u sh al l stand i n the
, ,
THE G R E AT P LA I N S 1 09
east Y ou shal l be a wa rrior E a c h time you d r i ve the p eop le
. .
”
towa rd s the west see that none lag behind To the Star—Th at
,
.
Does —Not-Move he a p p ointed the north a s station an d he ,
m ade him the s t a r-c hief o f the s kies A nd in the south h e .
p la c ed S p irit Sta r
“
for you S hall be seen only on c e in a wh i le
, ,
”
at a c ertain time o f the yea r Fou r o t her stars he set over the
.
qu a rt ered re g ion s north-east and nor t h-west and south -east
, ,
and south wes t and c ommandin g t hese fou r to move c loser
—
,
“
to him he s aid t o t hem : Y o u fou r S hall be known a s t he ones
,
who shall u p hol d the heavens There you shall stan d a s lon g .
a s t he heavens las t and althou g h you r p l a c e is to hol d the
, ,
heavens u p I also g ive you p ower t o c rea t e p eo p le Y ou shall
,
.
g ive them di fferen t bundles whi c h shall be holy bu ndles , .
Y ou r p owers will be known by the p eo p le for yo u shall t ou c h ,
the heaven s with you r h ands an d you r feet shall tou c h the ,
”
earth .
A fter this Tirawa s aid to B r i g ht Star t he west star :
,
I ,
will send to yo u C lou d s Wind s L i g htnin g s and Thu nders
, , , .
When you have re c eived these g od s p la c e them between you ,
and the Garden When they stand by the Garden they sh al l
.
,
tu rn into hu man bein g s They s hall have t he downy feather
.
i n their h air [symbol o f the b reath o f life] E a c h s hall wear the .
buffalo robe for his c overin g E a c h S hall have about his waist
.
a lariat o f buffalo hai r E a c h shal l also wea r mo c c asins E a c h
. .
o f them sh all h ave the rattle in his ri ht h and [ symbol o f the
g
g a rden o f the Evenin g Star] Thes e fou r g od s s hall be the .
ones who S hall c reate all thin g s .
Then the C lou d s g athered ; the Winds blew ; Li ghtn i ngs an d
Thu nders entered the C lou d s When s p a c e was c anop ied .
,
Tirawa d rop p ed a p ebble into the i r midst whi c h wa s rolled ,
about in the thi c k C lou ds The storm p as sed an d a waste o f
.
,
waters wa s revealed Then to the Star-God s o f the Worl d
.
Qu a rters Tirawa g ave wa r-c lub s b iddin g them t o strike the ,
waters with them ; and a s they obeyed the waters se p arated , ,
and t he ea rth wa s made .
1 10 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
When all t his had c ome to p ass Tirawa c ommanded the ,
B ri g h t S t a r of the evenin g to tell the Star-Gods of t he Qu a rters
t o sin g o f t h e formation o f the ea rth A s they s an g the ele .
,
men t al g ods t he C lou ds and the Wind s and the L i g h t nin g s
,
and t he Th u nders a g ain a ssembled and from the mi g ht o f
, ,
thei r s t orm ea rth was d ivided into hill and valley Then a g ain .
Tira wa b ade throu g h B ri
, g ht Star that the Star-Gods o f the
,
Qu arters shoul d sin g o f timber a nd o f ve g etation and a g ain ,
there was a storm and earth wa s g iven a d res s o f livin g g reen
,
.
A thi rd time they s an g and the waters o f earth were c leansed ,
and sweetened and c ou rsed i n flowin g streams A fou rth time .
they s an g and al l manner of seeds wh i c h h ad been d rop p ed
, ,
to earth s p routed into l ife
,
.
No w at the de c ree Of Tirawa the Su n and the Moon were
, ,
united and from their u n i on wa s born a so n ; and the Mornin g
,
and the Evening Stars were u nited and from them a d au g hter ,
wa s born A nd these two boy and g irl were p la c ed u p on the
.
, ,
ear t h but a s yet they had no u nderstandin g Then Tirawa
,
.
“
a g ain c ommanded : Tel l the fou r g ods to sin g abou t p uttin g
life into the c hild ren AS the fou r g od s rattled thei r
.
g ou rds the ,
W i nd s a rose the C lou d s c ame u p ,
the L i g htnin g s ,
entered the C lou ds The Thu nders al so entered the C lou ds
. .
Th e C lou d s moved down u p on the ea rth and it rained u p on ,
the two c hild ren The L i g htnin g s stru c k about them The
. .
Thu nders roa red I t seemed to awa ken them They u nder
. .
”
stood .
To this p ai r a so n wa s born and then they seemed to u nder ,
stand all ; that they mu st l abor to feed the c hild and C lothe
him B efore this time they had not c ared anythin g about
.
”
c lothin
g o r food nor fo r s hel ,
t er T i r a w a s aw thei r need s and
.
,
he sent the messen g er g od s to bear them g ifts and to instru c t
t hem To the woman they g ave seed s and the moistu re t o
.
fru c tify them ; they bestowed u p on her the lod g e and t he lod g e
altar the holy p la c e ; they p resen t ed her with the fi re p l a c e and
, ,
they tau g ht her t he u se o f fire ; the p ower o f s p ee c h al so was
1 12 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
eo le that T ira wa had told h i m throu g h B ri g ht Sta r that
p p , ,
when he shou ld d ie his s kull shou ld be p la c ed u p on the bundle ,
s o that his s p irit s hou ld h ave p ower and be ever p resent with ,
”
the Skidi p eop le .
This extraordinary myth offers a mu ltitu de of analog ies not ,
only with New World but also with O ld -World c osmog onies
-
, .
There i s in it not a little that is su gg estive o f the B ibli c al
Genesis o r Of the time when the mornin g sta rs s an g to g e t he r
,
’
and c lou d and thi c k d arknes s were ea rth s swaddlin g -band .
The Sta r-God s o f the Qu a rters whose feet tou c h ea rth and ,
whose h and s u p hol d the heavens a re the very ima g e o f the ,
c osm i c Titans o f o ld Med iterranean lore and o f the H omeri c ,
Strife w
,
“
ho holdeth her head in the Heaven s while her feet
tread the E a rth I n the earlier a stronomi c al p ortion o f the
.
’
leg end there is mu c h that is reminis c ent o f Pl ato s a c c ou nt of
c reation in the Ti m a eu s with its a p p ortionments o f the b eav
, ,
ens amon g the sta rs and it s dele g ation o f t he S ha p in g o f al l
s ave the sou ls o f men to the Demiu rg e a nd the Sta r-Gods .
Su rely there is sublim i ty in the Pawnee c on c e p tion of Tirawa
, ,
in his abode above the c irc le o f the heavens p assin g his c o m ,
mand s to the b ri g ht evenin g star the Mother Star m istres s , ,
o f t he s irit
p g arden o f the West ; of the Sta rs o f the Qu a rters
sin g in g tog ether thei r c reative hymn s ; and of t he God s o f t he
E lements am id tu rmoil o f c lou d and wind an d thunder and
,
fl ame sha p in g an d fashionin g the hab itable g lobe b reathin g
, ,
the b reath o f l ife into stream and field into p hys i c al seed and ,
s p iri t u al u nderstand in g a nd str i kin g the ea rth w i th the fi res
,
o f p u rifi c ation .
IV . THE SO N O F THE SUN 13
The story f
a woman o f the p rimitive p er i od as c endin g to
o
the sky-world ; o f her marria g e w i th a c elestial g o d son o f the ,
Su n Fa t her ; o f her b reakin g a p rohibition ; and o f her fall to
earth where a boy or twin boys is born to her ; an d tales of
, , ,
PLA T E XVI I I
K i owa d raw i ng re p re s e nt i ng ( u p p e r) t he W oma n
,
who c li mb ed to t he Sk y in p u rs u it o f a Porc u p ine that
tu r ned out to be So n o f t he Su n a nd ( l ow e r) who
,
l ate r fe ll to Ea rth a fte r d ig gi ng t he fo rb idd e n root
,
ft er 1 A R B E P l at e L XVI I
( see p. 1 A 7 ,
.
THE G R E AT P LA I N S 1 13
the futu re deed s o f the so n o f the s k y-g o d all this i s c ommon ,
i n p art or in whole to many t ribes and to all reg ions o f the
,
A meri c an c ontinent I ndeed it h a s obviou s affi ni t ies to world
.
,
wide myths o f a s im i la r typ e of whi c h Ja c k and the B eanstalk
,
i s the familia r exam p le in En g lish folk-lore .
The I roquoian c osmo g oni c tale o f the Titanes s who i s c ast
down from heaven to the waters o f p rimeval c haos is a p art
o f t his mythi c c y c le but it does not tell o f the p reviou s as c ent
,
o f the woman into the s k y-world The beautifu l and p oeti c
.
B la c kfoot tale o f Po i a the so n o f the g irl who ma rried the
,
Mornin g Sta r is a more c om p lete vers ion of the myt h -o r
,
p erha p s a transformation of the le g end for here i t is no ,
lon g er ,
a s with the I roquois a c osmog ony but the tale o f a c ultu re
, ,
hero I n d iff erent tribes it shifts from one c ha ra c ter to the
.
other —
world ori g ins and c ivilization ori g ins but in the —
main it s c entral event seems t o b e the b rin g in g O f a g olden
treasu re from the s k y-world by a wonderfu l boy who be c omes
a tea c her o f mankind a son o f the Su n b r i n g in g to earth a
knowled g e o f the Med i c ine o f H eaven .
Th e S kid i Pawnee n a rrate the story almost exa c tly i n its
B la c kfoot form althou g h t hey do not tel l o f the p oeti c al trans
,
’
l ation to and from the heaven s by means of a s p ider s web ;
“
but the A ri kara in their vers ion o f the Girl Who Ma rried a
,
”
S t a r g ive an a c c ou nt of thi s j ou rney whi c h i s by c limbin g
, ,
a n ever-g rowing tree that at l ast p enetrates the s k y-world
a means known not only to Ja c k of beanstal k fame but to ,
m any ano t her tale of the O l d and the New Hemis p heres 42
.
I t i s in t his form that the story is known to several tribes
A ra p aho C row Kiowa A s siniboin
, , ,
14
.
The events o f t he le g end as told in the very p erfe c t Ara
,
p aho version ,
be g in with the s k y
-world family : their t i p i was
”
formed by the d ayli g h t and the entran c e door wa s the su n
,
—
.
Here lived a Man and a Woman and their two boys Su n an d
Moon I n sear c h of wives the youth s g o alon g E a g le R iver
.
,
whi c h ru ns ea st and west the older b rother Su n travellin g
, . ,
1 14 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
down the stream ; t he you n g er Moon in the o p p os ite di re c tion
, , .
Sun t akes for his wife a wa t er animal the Toad ; but Moo n ,
de c ides t o marry a mor t al woman and when he sees two g irl s ,
in t h e field he t u rn s himself into a p or c u p ine and c l imb s
,
a t ree O ne Of t he g irl s sta rts to follow the animal u p t he
.
tree bu t it kee p s as c endin g and the tree c ontinues g rowin g
, , .
Finally the s k y is p ierc ed and Moon resumin g the form o f a
, ,
youn g man ta kes the g irl to wife in the s k y-world lod g e Ther e
,
.
a so n i s born t o her Meanwhile the father o f Su n and Moo n
.
has p resented h is d au g hter-in-law with a d i g g in g sti c k b u t ,
her hu sband forbid s her to d ig a c ertain withered p l ant O ut .
o f c u riosity s h e d isobeys and u n c overs a hole throu g h whi c h
s h e looks down u p on the c am p c ir c le o f her p eo p le She u nder .
takes to des c end by mean s o f a s inew ro p e but j u st before ,
s h e rea c hes earth w i th her s o n Moon th rows a stone c alled
, ,
Heated Stone after her s ayin g
, ,
I s h al l have to make he r
,
”
retu rn to me a rem ark whi c h the I ndian s de c l are show s
, ,
that there is another p la c e for dead p eo p le the s k y-worl d ,
.
The woman i s killed by the stone but the boy is u ninj u red ,
.
At first he is nou rished from the b reasts o f h is dead mother ;
b ut afterward he is fou nd a nd c a red for by O ld Woman Ni g ht ,
“ ” “
who had c ome to the s p ot Well well ! S he s ays to him Are
.
, ,
y o u L i t tle Sta r ! I am s o h a pp y to meet y o u T hi s is t h e .
c entral s p ot whi c h everybody c omes to I t i s the terminu s o f .
al l trails from all di re c tion s I h ave a little ti p i down o n th e
.
north s ide o f t he river and I want you to c ome with me I t
,
.
i s only a s hort d istan c e from here C ome o n g rand c hild L ittl e
.
, ,
Star The o ld woman m ade bow and arrows fo r L ittle Sta r
.
,
and wi t h these he slew a horned c reatu re with bl azin g eye s
whi c h p roved to have been the hu sb and o f N ig ht f0
She trans ’
formed t he bow in t o a lan c e and with this he be g an to kill
,
the serp ents whi c h infested the world While he wa s s lee p in g .
o n the p rairie however a snake entered his body and c oile d
, ,
i t self in his skull A ll the flesh fell from him but hi s bone s
.
,
“
still held tog ether and i n this c ondition he g ave hi s ima g e t o
,
1 16 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
d ie forever We shall die for fou r days and then c ome to life
.
” “ ” “
a g ain .O h no s aid O ld Woman it will be better t o d ie
, , ,
forever so th a t we s h all be sorry fo r ea c h other
,
U nable t o .
a g ree t hey leave t he matter to a S i g n : O ld Man throws a bu f
,
“
falo c h i p in t o the water ; if i t sinks men a re to d ie Now O l d , .
,
Woman had g reat p ower and s he c au sed the c hi p to tu rn into
,
”
a s t one so i t sank So when we die we die forever
,
.
, .
We must have death in order that we m ay p i ty o ne another !
t here is an elemental p athos in this s im p le motive a s in the ,
not d issimila r E s kimo p arable o f the O ld Woman who c hos e
li g ht and d eath rather than life amid d arknes s .
A tale Of a di ff erent c om p lexion tou c hed by the c hara c ter ,
ist ic astrolo g i c al g eniu s o f the tribe is the Pawnee story o f ,
14
t he ori g in o f death Man kind had not yet been c reated when
.
Tirawa sent the g iant L i g htnin g to ex p lore the ea rth I n h i s .
s ack the tornado g iven him by B ri g ht Star who h a s co m ,
mand o f the elements L i g htnin g c a rried the c on stellation s
,
whi c h Mornin g Star i s a c c u stomed to d rive before him ; and ,
after ma kin g the c irc u it o f the earth L i g htnin g released the ,
sta rs to en c am p there i n their c elestial order Here they
,
.
woul d h ave rema i ned but a c ertain sta r c alled Fool-C oyot e
, ,
( be c au se he de c e i ves the c oyotes whi c h howl at him thinkin g , ,
h im to be the morn in g star whom he p re c edes ) was j ealou s , ,
o f the p ower o f B right Star an d he p la c ed u p on the ea rth a ,
wolf whi c h stole the tornado-s a c k o f L i g htnin g He released
,
.
the bein g s that were in the s a c k but these when they s aw that , ,
i t was the wolf and not their master L i g htning whi c h ha d
, ,
free d them slew the animal ; and ever S i n c e ea rth has been the
,
abode o f wa rfare and o f death .
A nother Pawnee myth w i th the s ame astrolog i c al tu rn tell s
, ,
o f the termin a t ion that is to c ome to all ea rthly life V a r i ou s .
p ortents wil l p re c ede : the moon will tu rn red and the su n wil l
d ie in the s kies The North Sta r is the p ower whi c h is to p re
.
s ide at the end of all thin g s a s the B ri g ht Star o f evenin g wa s
,
the ruler when life be g an The Mornin g Sta r the messenger .
,
THE G RE A T P LA I N S 1 17
o f heaven whi c h revealed the mysteries o f fate to the p eop le
, ,
s aid that in the be g innin g a t the fi rst g reat c oun c il whi c h a p
,
p or t ioned the star fol k their stations two o f the p eo p le fel l ,
ill O ne o f these was Old and o ne w as you n g They were
.
,
.
p l a c ed u p on s t ret c hers c a rried by sta rs ( U rs a Maj or and U rs a
,
Minor) and t he two stret c hers were tied to the Nor t h Sta r
,
.
Now the South Star the S p irit S t a r o r Sta r o f Death c omes
, , ,
hi g her and hi g her i n the heavens and nea rer and nearer the ,
North S t a r and when the time for the en d o f l ife d raws ni g h
, ,
the Death Star will a p p roa c h so c lose to the North S t a r t h at
i t will c a p tu re the sta rs that bea r the stret c hers and c au se
the death o f the p ersons who a re lyin g ill u p on these s t ella r
c ou c hes . The North Sta r will then disa p p ea r and move away
a nd t he South Sta r wil l ta ke p osses sion o f earth and o f s it s
“
p eo p le
. The c ommand for the endin
g o f all th i n g s will be
given by the North Star an d the South Sta r will c arry o u t
,
the c ommand s O u r p eo p le were made by the stars When
. .
the time c omes fo r all things to end o u r p eop le will tu rn into
”
s mall sta rs and w i ll fly to the South Sta r where they belon g ,
.
L ike other I nd ians the Pawnee rega rd the Mil ky Way as the
,
p ath taken by the souls after death The sou l goes fi rst t o .
the North Star they say wh i c h sets them u p on the north en d
, ,
o f the c elest i al road by whi c h they p ro c eed to the S p i r i t Sta r
,
o f the south .
Y et not all the s p i r i ts o f the dead g o to the stars at least ,
n o t d ire c tly F o r the I ndian the earth i s filled with g hostly
.
vis itants s p irits o f men and an imals wanderin g th rou g h the
,
p la c es whi c h life h ad made familia r O ne o f t he most .
g rue
some c l asses o f these is formed by the S c al p ed Men Men .
S lain an d s c al p ed in b at t le are re g a rded a s no t tru ly dead ; they
be come ma g i c bein g s dwellin g in c aves o r h au ntin g the w i ld s
, ,
for sh ame p revents them from retu rnin g to their o wn p eo p le .
Thei r head s a re bloody an d the i r bod ies mutilated a s left by ,
thei r enemies and o ne horr i bly vivid Pawnee tale tells how
,
they add res s o ne another by n ames des c r i p t i ve o f the p at c hes
1 18 N O RT H A M E R I C A N M YT HO LO G Y
hai r s t ill lef t u on t hei r head s O ne -H a i r Forehead
of p ,
” 12
air air a k —o f t h e -H ead all o f you c ome !
H ,
H B -c -
,
Th e s t ory in w hi c h t his o c c u rs is o f a man who h ad lost wife
a n d so n and in his bereavement wa s wanderin g over the p rai
,
ries in quest o f dea t h He wa s met by the S c al p ed Men o f hi s
.
t ribe and these t a kin g p ity u p on him im p lored Tirawa t o
, , ,
retu rn t he dead to the land o f the l iv i n g The request wa s .
g ranted with c ertain restri c tion s d ead and —
l ivin g were to
en c am p for fou r d ays S ide by s ide without s p eakin g to o ne
, ,
another ; t he bereaved father m i g ht s p ea k to his so n but m i g ht ,
no t tou c h him The tribesfol k a s sembled in c am p ; they beheld
.
a hu g e du st a p p roa c hin g ; the s p irits o f thei r de p a rted friend s
p as sed before them B ut
. when the father s aw his so n amon g
the dead he seized hold o f him and hu g g ed him and in hi s
, ,
“ ”
hea r t he s aid I will not let you g o ! The p eo p le s hrieked ;
,
the dead d isa p p ea red ; and death h as c ontinued u p on ea rth 53
.
Not les s dee p ly p atheti c is another Pawnee tale o n the O r
p h e u s and Eu rydi c e theme A you n g. ma n j oined a w a r- a rty
p
in order to win p onies a s a b rid al fee for the g irl o f his desire .
When her lover no longer a p p eared the m aiden not knowin g , ,
that he had g one to wa r si c kened and d ied O n t he retu rn of
,
.
the war-p a rty it was noised th rou g h the villa g e th at the youn g
,
b rave h ad c a p tu red more p onies than any o f the other men ;
’
and when he a rrived at his fa t her s lodge his mother told him ,
the tribal g os si p but failed to mention the g irl s death He
,
’
.
went to the s p ring where the maidens g o fo r water the mee t in g ,
p la c e o f I nd ian lovers but h
,
i s sweethea rt w a s not amon g them .
The next d ay his mother rem arked that a g irl o f the tribe had
d ied du rin g his absen c e and then he knew that it was his love
,
who wa s dead When he learned this he c alled fo r meat an d
.
,
’
a new p ai r o f mo cc asins and went forth in sea rc h o f the g irl s
,
g rave for the p eo p le followin g the bu ff alo h ad moved from
, , ,
t he p la c e in whi c h s he had died He c ame to the s p ot where.
t he g rave wa s and remained beside it for several d ays wee p in g ,
.
Then he went o n to the em p ty villa g e where the p eo p le ha d ,
1 20 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
you r d au g hter My body lies u p there but I am here with
.
,
you I am no t real and if you p eo p le do not always treat me
.
,
p pro erly I will su,
ddenly d isa p p ea r .
The s p irit b ride g ave birth to a so n in due time but the ,
c hild was never allowed to tou c h the g round and the mother ,
never made mo c c asins for her hu sb and He h ad be c ome a man .
o f renown and he wished to t ake another wife The s p i rit .
wife warned him not to do so but he p ersisted Eventu ally a ,
.
qu arrel c ame due t o t he j ealou sy o f t he new wife and t he
, ,
“
man stru c k hi s s p i rit wife She said : Do not stri ke me any
.
more for you know wh at I told you For o ne thin g I am g l ad
,
.
,
and t hat i s I h ave a c hild I f I had remained in the S p irit
.
L and I shou ld never h ave been allowed to have a c hild .
The c hild i s mine Y ou do not love my c hild
. I love my .
”
c hild When I am g one I sh all take my c hild with me
. The .
mother d isa p p ea red in a whirlwind and the next mornin g the ,
c hild wa s fou nd d ead The man too died o f g rief and remorse
.
, , ,
’
but the p eop le bu r i ed h i m a p art from the g host wife s g rave .
VI . P R O P H ET S AN D W OND E R-W O R K E R S
I n the leg end a ry lore o f all I ndian tribes the p art p layed by
wonder-workers in the a ff airs o f men is the p redominatin g
theme Sometimes these a re demiu rg i c bein g s exer c isin g and
.
,
evin c in g their mi g ht in the p ro c ess o f c reation Sometimes .
they are m a g i c al anim al s endowed with s ha p e shif t in g p owers
,
—
.
Sometimes they a re human heroes who a c qu ire wonderfu l p o
t e n c ies throu g h some s p e c ial i nitiation g ranted them by the
Natu re Powers and so be c ome g rea t p rop hets o r medi c ine
-
, ,
men Frequently su c h hum an heroes a re o f obs c u re ori g in
.
in a very familiar typ e o f story a p oor o r an orp han boy ,
who p as ses from a p l a c e des p ised into o ne o f p rom i nen c e an d
benefa c tion .
I n t hese leg end s variou s motives a re manifest a feel in g
fo r history and the truth o f n a t u re love o f the marvellou s , ,
THE G R E AT P LA I N S 1 21
and moral alleg ory G A Dorsey d ivides Pawnee myth s into
. . .
fou r grea t c lasses : ( 1 ) Tales of the heavenly bein g s re g arded ,
a s t ru e and havin g religiou s si g nifi c an c e ( 2) Tales o f R eady
, .
to Give t he c u ltu re hero es p e c i ally p ertainin g t o the g u ar
- 60
,
69
,
d ian deity o f t he p eo p le in t he ma t ter o f food -qu ests ( 3) .
Stories of wonder-deed s o n earth the m aj ori t y o f them be in g,
“ ”
c on c erned wi t h the a c qu isition o f med i c ine -p owers by some
ind ividu al (4 ) C oyote tales not reg a rded as t ru e bu t c o m
.
, ,
m o n ly p ointin g a moral Th e c oyote amon g t he Pawnee u su
.
, ,
ally a p p ea rs as a low t ri c kster no t a s a ma g i c al t ransformer
, ,
a s in hi s more tru ly mythi c embodimen t s ; and a p p arently he
i s wi t h t hem a de g raded my t holog i c al be in g p erha p s belon g ,
in g t o an older stra t u m o f belief than thei r p resent astronomi
c a l t heolo g y p erh a p s borrowed f i om other t ribal m yt holo ies
’
, g .
There i s reason to believe s ays Dorsey th at when the Pawnee
, ,
were stil l residents o f Neb ras ka the word c oyo t e w a s rarely
em p loyed in these stories and that the Wolf wa s the hero o f
,
the Tri c kster tales this Wolf bein g the t ruly m yt holog i c al
,
bein g who was sent by the Wolf Sta r to steal th e to rn ad o —s a c k
o f L i g htning and so to introdu c e death u p on ea rth I f th e
,
.
Wolf be indeed a kind o f mythi c embodiment o f the to rn ado ,
whi c h yea rly deal s death o n some p o r t ion of the Great Plains ,
“
the O maha des c ri p t ion o f the m ale g ray wolf whose c ry , ,
”
u ttered without e ff ort verily made the ea rth to tr emble
, ,
will be at on c e ful l o f si g nifi c an c e ; and it will inevitably c al l
to mind t he I c elandi c d o g Garm b ayin g at world destroyin g
, ,
-
R a g narok an d the wolf F e n rir loosed to wa r u p on the g od s
, , ,
o f heaven .
Stories Of the Tri c kster an d Tran sfo rmer a re u nivers al in
No rth Ameri c a 48
I n the eastern p o rtion o f the c on t inent the
.
“
A l g onqu ian G reat Hare ( an d his de g enerate doublet B rer ,
”
R abb it ) i s the c ons p i c uou s p ersona g e thou g h he sometimes ,
a p p ears in hu m an form a s in Gloos c a p an d hi s kind red O n
,
.
t he Great Pl ains and westwa rd to the Pa c ifi c the C oyote i s
, ,
the most c omm on embodiment Of thi s c hara c ter Sometimes .
1 22 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
he a p p ears as a true demiu rg e sometimes a s the ty p i c al ex ,
am p le for a well s hot moral or as the butt o f s atire and ridi c u le
-
.
O c c asionally t he Tri c kster and the C oyote a p p ear as doub les
, ,
a s I n some A ra p aho stories of Nihan gan vyin g w i th C oyote ,
in c on t ests of tri c kery ; t he A s siniboin Tri c ksters In k t o nm i ,
and Sit c o n s k i have simila r en c ou nters with the C oyote o r the
,
R abbit and they are made heroes of tales whi c h el sewhere have
,
the animal s themselves as c entral figu res N ihancan I n k .
,
t o n m i Sit c o n s k i
,
and the Atha p as c an tri c kster E stas al l
, , ,
a p p ea r as heroes o f c osmo g oni c events thou g h they a re a p p ar ,
ently in no sense deities but only mythi c p ersona g es o f the Ag e
,
T
’
o f G i ants and itans when animal,
-bein s were earth s ru lers
g .
“ ” “ ”
O ld Man o f the B la c kfeet and O ld Man C oyote o f the
C row tribe p lay the s ame r dle; so that everywhere amon g the
Pl ains tribes we seem to se e a p ro c ess o f p ro g ressive a nth ro
p o m o rp h iz a t io n of a p rimitive Wolf g o d who was the de m iu r ,
g ic hero Whether
. su c h a bein g was ever wors hi p p ed a s a re ,
the heavenly g od s in the c u lt o f Su n and Sta rs i s a matter o f ,
doubt .
A mon g other animals the buffalo an d among b ird s the ea g le , ,
hel d p la c es o f fi rst im p ortan c e ; but all known c reatu res were
4°
re g arded as h av i n g p oten c ies worthy o f veneration and de
s irable o f a c qu i sition The Pawnee S p oke o f the animal
.
p owers a s N a h u ra k whom they
,
thou g ht to be or g anized in
lod g es O f these lod g es P ahu k o n the Platte R iver was re
.
,
g arded as the most im p o rtant A cc ordin g to a story o f whi c h .
there a re se veral variants a c hief slew hi s so n ,
in o ne ver
s ion a s a s a c rifi c e to Tirawa in other forms o f the leg end b e
,
’
c au se h e was j ealou s o f the son s medi c ine-p owers and c ast
the body i nto the Pl atte The c or p se was ob served by the King
.
fi sher who informed the animal s at Pahu k When the body
,
.
floa t ed down to their h i ll-side lod g e the animals took i t c a r , ,
ried it i n by the V ine-hidden entran c e and sent to the animal s ,
o f N a k is k at the animal lod g e to t he west to inqu ire whether
, ,
life s houl d be restored to the body o f the slain youth The .
1 24 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
sa c red obj e c t and h anded down in the tribe I n the Sun -D an c e .
c eremonial t he al t ar i s made o f a bu ffalo s ku ll and i t is often ,
by d ra g g in g bu ffalo s ku lls atta c hed by thon g s to the mu s c les
,
o f th e ba c k t ha t vows a re fulfilled and p enan c e i s p erformed
, .
I t is not d iffi c u l t to see that the bu ffalo a s t he g reat food ani ,
mal o f t he Plains is here the im p ortant p ersona g e t he g ift o f
, ,
the heavenly p owers ; and it wou ld be interestin g to theorize
o n some s imila r ori g in for the bu c rania whi c h adorned the
p la c es o f sa c rifi c e o f c lassi c al
p eo p les .
VII . M I G RATI ON LE G E N D S -
AN D Y EAR COUN TS
- 57
The histori c al sense ha d rea c hed a c ertain develo p ment
amon g t he I ndian s o f the Plains a s amon g those o f the eas t .
N o t only are mi g ration -le g end s to be fou nd su c h a s that o f ,
the C reek but p i c to g ra p hi c re c ord s li ke the Wa lu m Olu m of
, ,
the Delaware are p ossessed by more than o ne weste rn tribe
, .
Amon g t he most interestin g o f these mi g ration -tradi t ion s
interestin g be c au se o f their analog ies with simila r le g ends
o f the c ivilized Mexi c an p eo p les a re the C heyenne myt h s '
re p orted by G A Dorsey The tales beg in with an ori g i n
. . .
story ,
15
tellin g how in the beg innin g the G reat Med i c ine
, ,
c reat e d the earth and the heavenly bodies ; and i n the fa r ,
no rth a beautifu l c ou ntry an ea rthly Pa rad ise where f ruits
, ,
and g ame were p lent i ful and where winter wa s u n known
,
.
Here the fi rs t p eo p le l i ved o n honey and f ruits ; they were
naked and wandered about like the animals with whom they
,
were friend s ; they were never c old o r hun g ry There were .
three ra c es o f these men : a hai ry ra c e ; a white ra c e with hai r ,
o n thei r head s ; and the I ndians with hai r only o n the t o p o f
,
the head The h ai ry p eo p le went south where the land was
.
,
b arren and after a time the I ndians followed them ; the white
, ,
bearded men also de p a rted but none knew whither B efore ,
.
the red men left thi s beautifu l c ountry the Great Medi c ine ,
b lessed them and g ave them that whi c h seemed to awaken
P LA T E X I X
C h eye nn e draw i ng re p re s enting t he m ed i c i n e-m an
,
a n d h is w i fe who b rou ht bac k t he Su n-D a n c e from
g
t h e Mou nta in o f t he R oa ri n g T hu n d e r ( se e p .
A ft e r F CllI ix Pl at e XIV
/
, .
THE G RE AT P LA I N S 1 25
thei r dormant minds for hitherto they had been w i thout in
,
t e l lig e n c e
. They were t au g ht to c lo t he their bodies with s kin s
and to make tool s and wea p on s of flint .
The red men followed t he hairy men to the south where the ,
l atter had be c ome c ave-dwellers These however were afraid .
, ,
o f the I ndians were fe w in number and eventu ally dis a p p ea red
, ,
.
Wa rned o f a flood whi c h wa s to c over the southland t he I n ,
d ians retu rned to the north to fin d that the bearded men,
a nd some o f the animals were g one from t here Nor were they .
able as be fore to tal k wi t h the animals but they tamed the
, , ,
p anther and b ea r an d o t her beas t s t ea c hin g t hem to c at c h ,
g ame for the p eo p l e A f
. t erward t hey went on c e more to the
south where the flood h ad sub sided and where the l and w a s
, ,
be c ome beau t ifu l an d g reen A nother inu nd ation c ame how
.
,
ever and s c attered them here an d there i n small b and s so
, ,
that they never a g ain were u nited as o n e p eop le This delu g e .
l aid the c ou ntry waste and to es c a p e sta rva t ion they j ou rneyed
,
no r t h on c e more only to find t he land s there also ba rren
, .
A f t er hu nd red s o f yea rs the ea rth s hook an d the hi g h hill s
, ,
sent fo rth fi re and s moke ; with t he winter c ame floods so that ,
al l the red men had to d res s in fu rs and live in c aves for the ,
win t er was lon g and c old and it destroyed all the trees The
,
.
p eo p le were nearly sta rved when s p rin g c ame ; but the Great
Medi c ine g ave them maize to p l ant and bu ff alo fo r meat an d ,
af t er t hat there were no more famines .
A se c ond myth o f the s ame p eo p le whi c h i s in som e de ,
g ree a doublet o f the p re c edin g tell s how the,
an c estors o f
the C heyenne dwelt in the fa r no rth beyon d a g reat body o f ,
water They were overp owered by an enemy and in d a n g er
.
o f be c omin g S laves when a medi c ine-man amon g them who
, ,
p ossessed a marvellou s hoo p and c arried a lon g staff led them ,
from the c ou ntry O n t he fou rth ni g ht o f thei r j ou rney they
.
,
s aw before them a b ri ht li ht a little above the g round and
g g , ,
this went i n front o f them as they advan c ed When they c ame .
to the water the medi c ine-man told them that he wa s g oin g
,
1 26 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
to lead them t o a land where they shou ld live forever He sang .
ma g i c songs ; the waters d ivided ; and the p eop le c rossed o n
d ry land The fi re now di sa p p eared and when d ay c ame they
.
,
found t hemselves in a beautifu l c ou ntry .
I n these events the mis sionary influen c e i s obviou s : the
Exodu s o f I s rael i s ada p ted to C heyenne history The story .
g oes on
,
however with elements ,
that seem truly abori g inal .
I n t he new c ou ntry the C heyenne were p hysi c ally strong bu t ,
mentally wea k They c ou ld c arry o ff l arge animal s o n thei r
.
b a c ks ; they tamed the bear and the p anther A n i mals t o o .
, ,
were hu g e O ne var i ety was in the form o f the c o w thou g h
.
,
fou r t imes a s l arge ; it wa s tame by n atu re and men u sed its ,
milk ; twenty men an d boys c ou ld g e t u p on the b a c k o f o ne o f
these c reatu res at a time A nother s p e c ies resembled the horse
.
,
but had horns and lon g s harp teeth ; this wa s a man -eater , ,
and c ould trai l hu man bein g s th rou g h the rivers and tall g ra s s
by s c ent ; fortu nately beasts o f this kind were few in nu mber
,
Most o f the animals were destroyed in a g reat flood after ,
whi c h the C heyenne who su rvived were stron g i n mind but ,
weak in body .
I t is tem p tin g to see i n these stor i es va g u e memor i es o f
g reat p hysio g ra p hi c al c hanges rea c hin g ba c k p erha p s to the
,
g la c ial a g e and to the p eriod when the ele p hant kind wa s
,
abu nd ant in North A meri c a and the g reat s ab re-tooth not ,
yet extin c t O n the other hand the northerly and southerly
.
,
wanderin g s o f the tribe may well be histori c al for it is alto ,
g ether in kee in
p g with what i s known o f the d rift o f the tribal
s t o c ks ; n atu rally su c h m i g rations in sea rc h o f food would be
,
a c c om p anied by c han g es in the c ond itions o f life i n fau n a ,
and in flora The leg end o f the bearded white men in the fa r
.
north i s interestin g both a s re c allin g the Nahu atlan myths o f
,
Quetzal c oatl and fo r i t s su gg ested reminis c en c e o f the North
,
men : fo r may it not be p ossible that the hai ry men o f the
fi rs t ra c es in the extreme north were the fu r-c lad E s kimo an d ,
th at the bearded men who c ame and d isa p p eared none knew
, ,
1 28 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
c lou d toward the no rth t hat is my b reath ; rej oi c e at the s i g ht
,
o f it ,
for yo u shall soon se e buffalo R ed is the blood o f the
bu ffalo and by that yo u S hall live
,
Pointin g to the east
.
,
symbolized by blue : Thi s p i p e is related t o the heavens and ,
you shall live with i t that is t he blue smoke o f t he p i p e
,
i s akin to the heavenly blue to whi c h it as c ends Southward .
C louds of many c olors may c ome u p from the sou t h but look ,
a t the p i p e and the blue s ky and know that the c lou d s will
soon p ass away and all will be c ome b lu e and c lear a g ain .
Westward : When it S hal l be blue in t he west know that it
“
,
is c losely related t o you th rou g h the p i p e and the b lue heavens ,
a nd by that you shall g row ri c h I am the White Bu ffalo
.
C ow ; my mil k is o f fou r kinds ; I s p ill it o n the earth that you
m ay l ive by it You s hall c all me Grandmother I f yo u youn g
31
. .
men will follow me over the hills yo u sh all se e my relatives .
A nd wi t h this revel a t ion she d isa p p ea red 40
.
’ “
B attiste Good s c hronolog y o r C y c les is o ne o f the most
, ,
i nterestin g p i c tog ra p hi c re cord s made by an I ndian north o f
Mexi c o I t re c alls the Nahu atl an histori c al do c uments by
.
i ts c y c li c c hara c ter althou g h the numeri c al p eriod seventy
, ,
yea rs is d ifferent E a c h c y c le is rep resented by a c ir c le
,
.
,
su rrounded by ti p is and c ontainin g emblems re c allin g note
,
wo rthy events O c c u rren c es from 90 1 the yea r o f t he mythi c
.
,
revel ation to 1 700 are le g end a ry but from 1 700 onward ea c h
, ,
year i s m arked by an ima g e emblemati c o f some event o f a n
h isto ri c al c hara c ter The vera c ity o f the re cord is p roved in
.
“ ”
p a rt by the existen c e o f other Da kotan Winter Cou nts
-
c all e d be c au se the D akota c hiefly c hoose winter events to
m ark thei r c hronolog y) with c orroborative statements S imi .
l ar p i c tog ra p hi c c hronolo g ies h ave been d is c overed elsewhere ,
those o f the Kiowa showin g a d ivisio n o f the yea r into su m
m e r and winter and even into moons o r month s ; but in no ,
o t her p art of the A meri c an c ontinent north of Mexi c o do we , ,
fi nd a n antiqu ity o f referen c e equ al to that c la imed for the
S iou an re c ord s .
P LA T E XX
K i owa c a le nda r p a inte d o n bu c k s k i n T he ba rs
, .
,
tw enty ni n e in n umb e r re p re s ent t he ye ars from 1 8 6 4
-
,
o n wa rd . T h e c re s c e nts th irty-s e v e n in n umb e r
, ,
re p re s ent a l un a r re c o rd s e pa rate from t he ye a r c ou nt
,
-
.
T he fi g u re s atta c h e d to th e s e si g n s are symbo ls o f t he
’
e v e nt s wh i c h ma r k t he p e ri od s ind i c at e d
. C om pa re ,
fo r oth e r fo rm s o f p i c to g ra p h i c a nd m n e mo n i c rec o rd
,
Pl at e s V X XXX an d F ig u re 2
, , ,
. A fte r 1 7 d R B E ,
Pl at e LXXX .
C H A P T E R VII
MO U N T AI N A N D D ES E R T
I . TH E G R EAT D IVI D E
EST o f the G rea t Pl ain s and ex t endin g almost the fu ll
,
len g t h o f the c onti nen t rises t h e lon g wall of t he R o c ky
,
Mou n t ains the Great D ivide o f Nor t h Ameri c a To the
—
.
east o f this c hain lie t he O p en p rai ries g ra ssy and watered , ,
a nd beyon d these t he an c ient forest l ands ri c h in veg eta t ion , .
To the west extend in g to the c oastal ran g es whi c h ab ru p tly
,
o verlook the Pa c ifi c is a vast p la t eau at it s widest o c c u p yin g
, ,
a fu ll t hi rd o f the c ontinen t al b readth the su rfa c e o f whi c h i s
,
a c ontinuou s varieg ation o f mou ntain and valley desert and ,
o asis. To the north this p lateau c ontra c ts i n wid t h b e c o m ,
i ng more c ontinuou sly and densely mou ntainou s a s i t n arrows
i n the hi g h ran g es and p i c tu resque g la c iers o f the C anadian
R o c kies I n the c entral region i t o p ens o u t into b road inter
.
montane valleys li ke that o f the C olu mbi a and eventu ally
, ,
e x p ands into the semi -arid deser t s o f the south -west the lan d ,
o f mes a and c anyon wonderfu lly fertile where water is o b
,
t ain a b le but mainly a waste g iven over to c a c tu s and sa g e
,
b rush Still farther south t he elevated a rea c ontra c ts a g ain
.
i nto the c entral p l ateau o f Mexi c o whi c h be c omes more fru i t
,
fu l and fai r as the Tro p i c o f C an c er i s p as sed u ntil it fall s ,
a way at the I sthmu s o f Tehu ante p e c .
This p l ateau re g ion o f North A meri c a i s well-ni g h as d is
tin c t ethni c ally a s it is p hysiog ra p hi c ally I n t he mou ntains .
o f B ritish C olumbi a and u p into c entral A l as ka its a b o ri i
g
n al s a re A tha p as c an t ribes whose c on g eners hol d the B arren
,
1 39 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
L ands o f the no rth and the Pl ains a s fa r as H u dson s B ay ; ’
and in t he south i n eastern New Mexi c o i n A r i zona and south
, ,
ern Texas and o n into Mexi c o itself Atha p as c ans a re a g ai n
, ,
found in the Navaho and Ap a c he p eop les B etween thes e .
l imits however p ene t ratin g now westward to the Pa c ifi c ,
—
,
now eastwa rd into the Pl ains i s a su c c ession o f lin g u isti c
—
s t o c ks who a re the c ha ra c teristi c auto c hthones o f the mou n
tain and desert re g ion c olou rin g w i th their beliefs and c ivil
,
iz at io n other intru sive tribes w ho h ave taken a habitation
beside them .
The no rtherly o f these sto c ks i s the Salishan , c om p ri s i n g
more than sixty tribes o f whom the Flathead and Pen d
,
’
d O re ille are p erha p s best known Southern B ritish C olumbi a
.
,
western Montan a and most o f Washin g ton where they su r
, ,
rou nded Pu g et Soun d an d held the Pa c ifi c c oast i s territo ry ,
whi c h wa s on c e almost wholly S alishan ; althou g h arou nd t he ,
headwaters o f the Columb ia the Kutenai formed a distin c t
,
sto c k c onsistin g o f a S i n g le tribe A dj oinin g the Salish to t he
.
south and extending from the Columbia valley in Wa shin g ton
,
and O re g on ea stwa rd to c entral I d aho were the tribes o f t h e
,
Shaha p tian sto c k m ade famou s by the Nez Per c é an d thei r
,
great C hief Jose p h From c entral O re g on and I d aho t hrough
.
,
the deserts o f Nevad a U tah and southern C alifornia east
, , ,
wa rd into the mou ntains o f Wyomin g and C olorado and finall y ,
o u t throu g h the lower hill s o f New Mexi c o into the Texa s
p lains were
,
the tribes o f the great S hoshonean fam i ly B an
no c k and Shoshoni in the north Paiute and U te in the c entral
,
belt Ho p i in Tu sayan and C oman c he o n the Great Plains To
, ,
.
the south dwell the most c ha ra c ter i sti c ally dese rt p eo p les o f
all the Y uman Mohave an d Co co p o o f A rizona and L ower
C alifornia the Pima and Pa p ago o f southern A rizona whos e
, ,
kind red extend fa r south into western Mex i c o A nother g rou p .
,
c u ltu rally the most interestin
g o f all although terri t orially
, .
the most limited is formed by the Pueblo I ndians
,
tribes o f .
variou s sto c ks formin g little islets o f ra c e amid the engu lfin g
1 32 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
p lis he d herdsmen The do g wa s o f c ou rse ubiqu itou s Ve g e
.
, ,
.
t able subsisten c e i s abu ndant in p la c es where water i s s u f
fi c ie n t but these are few and hen c e it c omes th at a g reat
, ,
p ar t o f t h e reli g ion es p e c ially of,
the a g r i c u ltu ral tribes o f the
Sou th West revolves about rain-makin g and the rain-b rin g in g
-
,
p owers .
II . THE GOD S O F THE M OUNTA I NS
The p rairie tribes , and even tribes the forest reg ion hel d of ,
the wes t ern mou n t ains in veneration fo r to them the R o c kie s ,
were the limits o f the known world They reg arded them a s .
the p illars o f heaven whose su mmits were the abode o f mi g hty
,
bein g s who s p oke in the thu nders and revealed themselves in
,
the li g htnin g s flash There too o n the Mountain s o f the
’
.
, ,
Settin g Sun m any a tribe p la c ed the V illa g e o f Sou ls to rea c h
, ,
whi c h the adventu rou s s p irit mu st run a g au ntlet o f terrors
snow-storm and torrent shakin g ro c k and p erilou s b rid g e ;
,
only the vali ant sou l c ou ld p a s s these ob sta c les an d arr i ve
at last in the land o f p lenty and verdu re whi c h lay beyond .
A g ain the mou ntains were the seats o f revel ation ; thithe r
,
went mi g hty medi c ine-men the p ro p hets o f the n ations t o , ,
kee p thei r sol itary vi g ils o r to re c eive i n the bosom o f these
, ,
lod g es o f the g od s instru c tion i n the mysteries whi c h were t o
,
be t he salvat i on o f the i r p eo p le .
I t is no t extraordinary that the mou ntain s exer c i sed a l i ke
fas c ination over the mytho p oeti c ima g ina t ions of the tribes
who inh ab ited the i r valleys o r dwelt o n the intermontane
p la t eau There a re many myths a c c ou ntin g fo r the formation
.
o f natu ral wonders and the wild s are p eo p led with monstrou s
,
bein g s o ft times reminis c ent o f Eu ro p ean fol k lore Giants
,
- - 2
.
,
dwellin g in stone hou ses o r armou red with stone S hi r t s a re ,
familiar fi g u res as are also eaters o f hum an flesh fan g mouthed
,
-
,
and hu g e-bellied The c annib al s wife who warn s an d p rote c ts
.
’
,
’
her hu sb and s visitors even to t he p oint where t hey destroy
,
him is a frequent theme ; and the U te tel l stories o f morta l
,
M O U N TA I N AND D E S E RT 1 33
men c a p tu r i n g b ird -women by stealing their b ird -c lothes while
t hey a re bathin g exa c tly as the swan -maidens are taken in
Teutoni c and O riental fol k lore - 46
The home o f these bi rd
.
women is far away in the mou ntain s whither the human hero ,
makes his adventu rou s fli g ht with ma g i c feathers and a mantle
o f invi sibility I n a Shoshonean tale p ublished by Powell
62
.
, ,
Stone Shirt the g iant S lays S ikor the c rane and c a rries
,
38
, , ,
away the wife Of the b ird but her b abe is lef t behind and i s
,
rea red by h is g randmother O n e day a g hos t a p p ears and tells
.
the boy o f the fa t e o f hi s p arents He retu rns to his g rand .
“
mo t her : Grandmo t her why h ave yo u lied to me abou t my
,
father and mother ! ”
but S he answers nothin g for sh e know s ,
tha t a g host has t old him all ; and the boy sob s him self to slee p .
There a vision c ame to him p romisin g him ven g ean c e and he
, ,
resolved to enlist all n ations in his enterp ri se bu t fi rst he c o m ,
e lle d hi s randmother to cu t him in twain with a m a i
p g g c
axe whi c h when she had done IO there were t wo boys whole
, , , , ,
an d beautifu l where before there h ad been only o n e
,
44
With .
Wolf and R attlesna ke a s thei r c ou nsellors the b rothers se t o u t ,
a c ross the desert From a never-failin g c u p they g ave wa t er
.
to thei r followers when threatened with death from thi rst ;
,
and when hu n g er beset them al l were fed from th e flesh o f the
,
thou sand -eyed a ntelo p e whi c h wa s the wat c hm an o f Stone
Shi rt bu t wh i c h R attlesnake who h ad the p ower o f ma kin g
, ,
himself invisible a p p roa c hed and slew I n the form o f doves
,
.
the b rothers s p ied o u t the home o f Stone Shi rt to whi c h they ,
’
were taken by the g iant s d au g hters to whom the t wo b ird s ,
c ame while the m aidens b a t hed I n the form o f mi c e they
.
,
g nawed the bowstrin g s o f t he ma g i c bows whi c h the you n g
g irl s owned ; and when Stone S hirt a pp eared g loryin g in h i s ,
stren g th and fan c ied immunity the R at t lesnake stru c k an d,
hurt h i m to the death The two maidens findin g their
.
,
wea p ons u seless s an g thei r death -son g and d an c ed their
,
death -dan c e an d p assed away beside t heir fa t her The g irl s
,
.
were bu ried o n the shore o f the l ake where their home ha d
1 34 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
been but the bones o f Stone Shirt were left to blea c h as he
,
h ad left t he bones of Sikor the c rane ,
.
This myth su rely re c ou n t s the c onquests o f the mou nta i ns
by the animal p owers with the b ird s at thei r head The
-
,
.
no rthern Shoshoni s a y that formerly t here were nu merou s
S t one G iants ( D z o av it s) dwellin g in the hills ; m any o f these
were killed by t he Weasels but most o f them were destroyed ,
by bird s who bu ilt fi res wh i c h exterminated the ra c e I n a .
familia r western form o f the Theft o f Fi re it i s a mou ntain ,
’
g eniu s who is t h e fire s j ealou s g u ard ian and from whom by , ,
c raft and fl e e t n e ss the animals steal the p re c iou s element for
,
the su c c ou r o f a c old a nd c heerles s world .
I t i s not always the an i m als however who war a g a i nst the , ,
mounta i ns O n the C olumbi a R iver the c anyon by whi c h it
.
,
p asses th rou g h the C as c ade R an g e was at o n e time the I n ,
d ian s say b rid g ed by ro c k a veritab le B rid g e o f the God s ;
, ,
but the snow-c a p p ed hill s o f the reg ion en g a g ed in war hu rl ,
ing enormou s bou lders at o n e another and one o f these thrown , ,
by Mt Hood at Mt A d ams fel l short o f its mark stru c k and
. .
, ,
b roke the b rid g e and d ammed the river where is now the g reat
,
c as c ade A S alishan le g end tells that this b rid g e wa s made
.
by S ahale the c reator to u nite the tribes o f men who dwelt
, ,
o n either s ide o f the mou ntains He stationed Lo o wit the .
,
wit c h o n g u a rd at this b rid g e where was the only fi re in the
, ,
world bu t she p ityin g the I ndians besou g ht S ahale to p e r
51
, , ,
mit her to bestow u p on them the g ift of fi re Th i s wa s done .
,
’
to the end that men s lot was va stly bettered and Sahale , ,
p leased with the resu lt transformed Lo o w it into a beautifu l
,
maiden B ut the wa rs b rou g ht o n by the rivalry o f two
.
c hiefs ,
Kli c kitat and Wiy e ast for the hand o f Lo o wit were so ,
d isastrou s to men th at Sahale re p ented his a c t b roke down ,
the brid g e and p utting to death the lovers and t hei r beloved
, , ,
reared over them as memori als the three g reat mou ntain s
, ,
-
over Lo o wit the hei g ht that is no w St Helen s over Wi .
,
yeast Mt Hood an d over Kli c kitat Mt A dams
.
,
. .
1 36 N O R T H A M E R I C A N M YTH O LO G Y
mis t s as c end from t he en c i rc lin g l akes The ea rth rises to .
wa rd t he north ; hen c e it g rows c older a s o ne travel s in thi s
d ire c tion .
L on g ag o these I ndians s ay earth was destitute o f trees
, ,
and o f many kinds of ve g e t a t ion ; there were no s almon nor
berries The p eo p le of the t ime thou g h they had human form
.
, ,
were really animals g ifted with ma g i c al p owers
,
40
I nto the .
48
world then c ame c ertain transformers the g reatest o f whom ,
were the Coyote and t he O ld Man and these were the bein g s
63
,
who p u t the earth in order g ivin g the mou n t ains and valleys
,
thei r p resent as p e c ts and transformin g the wi c ked amon g the
an c ient world denizen s into the animal sha p es whi c h a re still
theirs ; the des c endants o f the g ood among these p ristine bein g s
a re the I ndians o f today Many o f these c reatu res t oo were
.
, ,
transformed into ro c ks and bou lders : o n a c ertain mou ntain
th ree stone men m ay be seen sittin g in a stone c anoe ; they are
three hu man bein g s who es c a p ed thither when the delu g e 49
ove rtook the world ; C oyote alone su rvived this flood for he ,
transformed himself into a p ie c e o f wood and floated u nti l ,
the waters sub sided .
’
I t was C oyote s so n c reated by h i s father from qu a rtz who
, ,
c limbed to the s k y-worl d o n a tree whi c h he made to grow by
liftin g his eyelids 42
I n that realm he fou nd all so rts o f utensil s
.
u sefu l to man but when he c hose o ne the others atta c ked him
, , ,
so that he c u rsed them all then c efo rth to be se r v ants o f the
human ra c e He retu rned to the world o f m an by mean s o f a
.
b as ket whi c h S p ider lowered fo r h i m ; and o n ea rth in a series ,
o f mira c les he distr i buted the food animals for the p eo p le to
,
’
live u p on The p l a c e where C oyote s so n c ame b a c k from the
.
s k y i s the c entre o f the earth .
There i s a world below the worl d o f men a s well a s a worl d
above I n the world below the p eo p le a re A nts very a c t i ve
.
,
and g ay a nd fond o f the g ame o f la c rosse O n a c ertain .
d ay o ne o f two brothers dis a p p ea red ; the remai ning b rother
searc hed far and wide but c ould find no tra c e o f h i m Now the
,
.
M O U N TA I N AN D D E S E R T 1 37
A nts had stolen him and had c arried him away to the u nder
,
world where he p layed wi t h t hem a t l a c rosse B u t o ne d ay
,
.
,
a s he was i n the mids t o f a g ame he began to wee p and the , .
,
A nts said that some one mu st have stru c k him with a l a c ros se
“ ” “
sti c k . N o ! N obody stru c k me he answered I am sorrow
,
.
fu l be c au se while I was p layin g a tea r f ell o n my hand I t wa s .
’
my b rother s tear from the u p p er world and I know by it ,
”
th at he i s sear c hin g fo r me and wee p in g Then the A nts in .
p ity sent a messen g er t o t he u p p er world to tell the bereaved
o n e t hat his b rother was well and ha p p y in the u nderworld
“ ” “
Ho w c a n I see my b ro t her ! he as ked I mu st not tell you .
,
re p lied t h e A n t G o to t he S p ider and he may tell you
.
,
.
“
B u t t he S p ider said I c annot let you down a s my thread i s
, ,
”
too wea k Go to t he C row Th e C row answered I will not
. .
,
”
tell you with my mouth but I will tel l you i n a d ream ;
,
and in the vision he was t old to lift the stone over the fi re p la c e
in his lod g e an d there woul d be the entran c e to the lower
,
world He was to c lose hi s eyes lea p down ward and when
.
, , ,
he ali g h t ed j um p a g ain Fou r times he was to lea p with c losed
,
.
eyes The bereaved b rother did so and the fou rth j um p
.
,
b rou g ht him to the lowest o f the worlds where he wa s ha p p y ,
with hi s b rother This myth p resents an alog ies not onl y
.
with t he N avaho c on c e p t ion o f an ant-infested series o f u nder
worlds bu t far to the south i n C entral A meri c a wi t h the C a k
, , ,
c hiq u e l le g end o f the two b ro t hers who p layed at b all with the
44
p o w ers o f the u nde rworld ; an d a g ain o n a world c anvas , ,
with t he myriad tales o f the bereaved o n e g o d o r mortal , ,
s eekin g the g host of his beloved in g loomy H ades 53
.
These same I ndians t ell a story that seem s almost an e c ho
o f the Gr e ek tale of H al c yone or o f Tereu s lamentin g the lost
I tys.
46
A c er t ain hu nter they say c ommanded h is s i s t er never
, ,
to eat venison while he was o n the hu n t bu t sh e disobeyed and , ,
he stru c k her I n c ha g rin she transformed herself into a g olden
.
p lover and flew away while he s in c e he really loved his s i ster
, , ,
be g an to wee p and bemoan his fa t e u ntil he , too be c ame , ,
1 38 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
a bird c ryin g d is c onsolately
,
Na xle nt c e t c a, O h my , ,
”
you n g er s is t er !
L ike the southern tr i bes the S alis h tel l o f a t i me when the
,
Sun wa s a man S layer nearer to earth than no w
-
,
13
A c ros s a .
’
b rid g e o f fo g an u nlu c ky g amb ler m ade h i s way to the Su n s
56
’
hou se where the Su n s so n c on c ealed him from his c anniba l
,
“ ”
fa t her 19
. Mum mu m mu m ! There mu st be a man here
, , ,
s aid the Sun ; but his so n p ersu aded h i m that t here was none ,
and sent the g ambler b a c k to earth b u rdened w i th ri c hes , .
The Thunderb ird i s not so hu g e a s the bi rd o f the Pl ain s
tr i bes ; he i s in fa c t a small red -p luma g ed c reatu re whi c h shoots
,
arrows from h i s w i n g as from a bow the rebound o f the w i n g ,
mak i n g the thunder while the tw i n klin g of h i s eyes i s the
,
32
li g htn i ng ; the l arg e bla c k stones fou nd i n the c ou ntry a re
’ 27
the Thu nder s arrows The w i nds a re p eo p le dwellin g north
.
,
and south ; some des c r i be the wind a s a man with a larg e
head and a body thin and li g ht flutter i ng above the g rou nd ,
.
L on g ag o the South—Wind Peop le g ave a dau g hter in m arri a g e
to the North but their b abe was thrown into the water by the
,
’
b r i de s brother whose southern warmth wa s u n able to endu re
,
’
the little one s c older n atu re ; a nd the c hild be c ame ice float
i ng down the river Where the p owerfu l C hinook wind blows
.
,
c a p able o f transform i n g the tem p eratu re from w i nter to s u m
mer in a few hou rs the I ndians tell o f a great stru g gle a
, ,
wrestlin g-mat c h o f lon g ag o in whic h fi v e b rothers o f the
,
‘
Warm-Wind Peop le were d efeated and de c a p itated by the
C old-Win d B rothers ; but the son of o ne o f the Wa rm-Win d
B rothers g rew u p to avenge his u n c les and defeated the Cold ,
Wind B rothers allowin g only o ne to live and that with re
, ,
s t ric t e d p owers .B oth the stor i es o i the north ma rryin g the—
south and of the wrestlin g wind s o r seasons are found fa r
,
—
ea st amon g the A l g onqu ians and I roquois ; but the alleg ory is
t o o natu ral to ne c es s i tate any t heory o f borrowin g any more
than we mi g ht su p p ose the bodiles s c herub s o f the ol d I talian
39
p ainters to b e a kin to t h e Salis h wind p eop le
- .
140 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
flood of tears issued forth that the co nfl ag rat io n w as quen c hed
,
.
Thereaf t er the su n was c onquered and its c ou rse reg ul ated
13
.
,
61
The t ale o f the thef t of fi re re c u rs in many forms The fa .
m ilia r t yp e is that in whi c h the fl ame is g u a rded by its fi rst
owners in some mou ntain lod g e u ntil the tribes o f animal s who
,
dwell in c old and g loom de c ide to steal i t E ntran c e is g ained .
to the home o f the g u ard ian s by c raft and a bit o f the fi re i s ,
smu gg led o u t u nder the c oat o r bl an ket o f the thief He i s .
d is c overed an d p u rsued by the owners o f the flame but su c ,
c ee d s in p assin g it o n t o another animal whi c h i n tu rn g ives ,
it to ano t her an d this o n e to yet another u ntil it i s d istributed
, ,
i n all n atu re o r p erha p s ; hidden in trees o r stones A Sho
, ,
.
s honi version makes the g reat animal hero o f this reg ion the ,
C oyote the thief With the a id o f the E a g le he steals t he fi re
,
.
from its g u ard ian the C rane B la c kbird and R o c k Squ irrel
,
.
-
a re the animals who c arry the flame farther while Ja c k R abb it ,
-
revives the fallen fi re-c a rriers Th e Thom p son R iver I ndian s
.
make the B eaver the a ss istant o f t he E a g le in the thef t ; and
they also tell a story of the Pandora typ e o f a man who ,
g uarded fi re and water in two boxes till an E l k o u t of c u rios ,
i t y o p ened the re c e p ta c les and se t the elements free A Nez
,
.
Per c é variant al so m akes the B eaver the thief ; the Pines were
’
the fi re s fi rst gu ardians but the B eaver stole a live c oal hid
, ,
i t in his b reast a nd distributed it to willows and bi r c hes and
,
o ther tree s whi c h a s yet did not p osses s it ; and it is from these
woods that the I nd ians now kindle fi re by rubb in g .
Perha p s the mos t d ram a t i c fi re-myth o f all is the el aborate
Ut e version in whi c h C oyote is a g ain the hero I t was in the
,
.
a g e when C oyote was c hief but when the animals had no fi re
, ,
thou g h the ro c ks somet i mes g o t hot O n c e a small p ie c e o f .
bu rnt ru sh borne by the wind s was dis c overed by C oyote
, , ,
and then he knew that there was fi re He made for himself .
a head -d ress o f b ark fib re summoned the animal s in c oun c il ,
,
and dis p at c hed the bi rd s as s c outs to d is c over the flame c ou n
t ry The Hummin g-B ird des c ried it ; and headed by C oyote
.
,
M O UN TA I N AN D D E S E RT 14 1
they made a v i s it to the fi re-p eo p le who entertained them with ,
dan c e and feast A s they dan c ed Coyote c ame nearer and
.
,
nearer to the fl ame took o ff his b ark wig and with it seized
, ,
the fi re Then all fled p u rsued by t he en ra g ed g u a rdian s
.
,
.
C oyo t e p as sed the fire to E a g le Ea g le to Hu mmin g-B i rd , ,
then c e to Hawk-Mo t h to C hi c ken-Hawk to Hummin g B ird
, ,
-
a g ain and on c e more to C oyo t e who nearly c au g ht c on c ealed
, , , ,
h imself in a c avern where he nou rished the o n e little s p ark
that rem ained alive The d isa p p ointed fi re-p eo p le c au sed rain
.
a nd s now whi c h filled t he valleys with water ; but d ire c ted by
,
the R abb i t Coyo t e dis c overed a c ave c ontainin g d ry s age
,
b ru sh Here he took a p ie c e o f t he d ry sa g e-b ru sh bored a
.
,
hole in it and filled it with c oals With this u nder hi s belt
,
.
he retu rned home and su mmoned the p eo p le who were left ;
t hen he took the st i c k made a hole in i t wi t h an arrow p oint
,
—
,
and whittled a p ie c e o f h ard g reasewood A fter this he bored .
the sa g e-b ru sh with the g reasewood g athered the borin g s and , ,
p u t them i n d ry g rass ; blowin g u p on this he soon h ad a fi re .
” “
This d ry p ine nut w ill be bu rned hereafter
- he s aid D ry ,
.
c eda r will also be bu rned Ta ke fi re in t o all the tents I shall
. .
”
throw away the ro c ks There will be fi re i n every hou se
. .
V . CO Y OT E 43
The animal -p owers bu l k l arg e in t he myths o f the tribes o f
the Mou ntain and Desert re g ion Doubtles s in their reli g ion .
,
a p a rt from myth the animal p owers a re se c ond ary ; the Sho
,
-
shoni s ays D e S met swea r by the Su n by Fi re and by the
, , , ,
E ar t h and wh at men swea r by we may b e reasonably su re
,
m arks thei r intensest c onvi c tions The ritu al o f the c alumet .
,
d i re c ted to the fou r qu a rters to heaven and to ea rth is fa
, , ,
m il iar here a s elsewhere among the R ed Men ; and there i s
“
not wantin g eviden c e o f the s ame v eneration o f a Great
”
S p irit whi c h is so nea rly u niversal in Ameri c a 6
Even i n .
myth there i s a c ons iderable deg ree o f anthro p omorp hism .
14 2 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
The Transformer is not always an animal , but i s of t en the
“ ” “ ”
O ld O n e or O ld Man the A n c ient who i s the true c re
,
a t or 6
.
3 O ther manlike bein g s g ood and evil hold or h ave , ,
held t he ru lersh i p o f c ertain p rovin c es o f natu re ; and in the
Ag e of A nimals before men were the beast s them selves a re
, ,
said to have had hu man form : the i r p resent sha p es were im
p osed u p on them by the Transformers Nevertheles s they .
,
were tru ly animals in n atu re and d is p osition and the heroi c
, ,
a g e o f I ndian myth i s the p er i od o f thei r deeds .
A mong all these c reatu res C oyote is c hief I t is d iffi c u lt to .
obtain a c lear c on c ep tion o f the p art whi c h Coyote p l ays i n
’
the I ndian s i mag i nat i on The an i m al itself the p rairie wolf
.
, ,
i s small and c owa rdly, the least i m p osin g o f the wolf kind .
I n mu lt i tu des o f stor i es he i s re p resented a s c ontem p tible
de c eitfu l greedy bestial , w i th an eroti c mania that lead s h i m
, ,
even to in c est often outwitted by the animals whom he e n
,
d eav o u rs to tr i c k w i thout gratitu de to those that hel p him ;
,
and yet w i th all th i s he i s shown a s a mi g hty ma g i c ian re
, , ,
d u c ing the worl d t o order and hel p ing man with innu merable
benefa c tions p erha p s les s the resu lt o f h i s i ntention than the
,
indire c t out c ome o f h i s o wn efforts to s atisfy his selfish ap p e
tite I t i s im p ossible to reg ard su c h a bein g a s a d iv i nity even
.
,
among those tr i bes who make h i m t he great demiu rg e ; i t i s
equ ally o u t o f the question to regard h i m a s a hero for h i s ,
c ha ra c ter abu ses even s avage morals I n general he resem .
bles the Dev i l o f med iaeval lore more than p erha p s any other
bein g the same c omb ination o f c raft and selfishness often ,
defeatin g i ts o wn end s o f magi c p owers and su p ernatu ral
,
allian c es The light i n whi c h the I ndians themselves re g ard
.
h i m may b est be ind i c ated by the statement made to Teit
“
by an o ld Shu swa p : When I was a boy very many stories ,
were told about the O l d O ne o r C hief who travelled over the ,
c ou ntry tea c hing eo
p p le and p utting th i
,
ngs to r i ghts Many .
wonderfu l tales were rel ated o f h i m ; but the men who tol d
’ ‘
these stories a re no w al l dead and most o f the O ld O ne ,
1 44 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
lan by whi c h t hey c a n live L isten t o you r you n g er b rother
p
. .
L ook a t t hese p ine trees ; t hei r nu t s a re sweet ; and there o n
the p lain you see the su nflower bea ring many seeds they will —
,
be g ood for t he n a t ion L et them have all these thin g s fo r thei r
.
food and when t hey have g athered a store they shall p u t t hem
,
in t h e g rou nd o r hid e t hem in the ro c ks and when t hey re
, ,
t urn t hey shall find abu ndan c e and havin g t aken o f t hem a s ,
t hey need S h all g o o n and yet when they retu rn a se c ond time
, ,
t here shall s t ill be p lenty ; and thou g h they retu rn m any times ,
a s lon g as t hey live the s t ore shall never fail ; and thu s they
” “
shall be su p p lied with abun dan c e o f food without t oil No t .
” “
so,
s aid the elder b rother for then will t he p eop le idle an d
, ,
wor t hless and h avin g no l abor to p erform en g a g e in qua rrels
, , ,
and fi g htin g will ensue and they will destroy ea c h other and
, ,
the p eop le will be lost to t he earth ; they mu st work for all they
re c eive . Then the youn g er b rother went away g riev i n g but ,
the next d ay he c ame with t he p ro p osi t ion that thou g h the ,
p eo p le mu st work for thei r food thei r thirst shou ld be daily ,
quen c hed w i th honey-dew from heaven This too the elder .
, ,
b rother denied ; and a g ain the you n g er de p a rted in sorrow .
“
B u t he c ame to the Wolf his bro t her a third time : ,
My ,
b rother you r word s a re wise ; let the women g ather the honey
,
dew with mu c h toil by beatin g t he reed s with fl ails B ro t her
,
.
,
when a man o r a wom an o r a boy o r a g irl o r a li t tle o n e dies , ,
where shall he g o ! I h ave thou g ht all ni g ht about th i s and when ,
the d awn c ame into the s k y I sat o n the t o p o f the mou ntain
and did t hink L e t me t ell yo u wh at to do : When a man dies
.
,
send him ba c k when t he mornin g retu rns and t hen will all ,
” “ ” “
his friend s rej oi c e Not so said t he elder ; t he dead shall
.
,
”
retu rn no more Then the you n g er wen t away sorrowin g
. .
’
B ut o n e d ay he beheld his b rother s so n a t p lay and wi t h a n ,
arrow slew h im ; and when Wolf the fat h er sou g h t his boy in , ,
“
an g u ish his youn g er b rother th e C oyo t e said t o him : Y ou
, , ,
made the l a w that the d ead shall never retu rn I am g l ad t hat .
” 16
you are t he first to su ff er I n su c h a tale a s this it i s self
.
,
M O U N TA I N A ND D E S E R T 14 5
evident that we are hearing not of heroes o f roman c e but o f
, ,
fate-g ivin g d ivinities ; and it i s not far to g o b a c k in ima g ina
t ion to a time when the Wolf wa s a g rea t triba l g o d .
VI . S P I R ITS G H O STS , ,
AN D B O G I E S
Giants dwarfs tal kin g animals o g re-like c annib als many
, , , ,
h eaded w a t er monsters m an-s t ealin g ro c s s ky-serp ents and
, , ,
d eser t w it c hes are all forms whi c h in the j arg on o f the north ,
w es t a re re g arded as ta m a n o s o r p owerful thou g h t hey are
, , ,
n ei th er g od s nor s p irits and i ndeed ,
may be destroyed by an
, ,
a d roi t and bold wa rrior These bein g s mu st be p u t in the
.
g e n e ra l c lass o f bo g ies and t hou g h o n e is tem p ted to see es
, , ,
p ec i a l ly in t he p revalen c e and fero c i t y of c annibal tales some ,
r eminis c en c e o f former p ra c t i c es o r ex p erien c es there is p rob ,
a b ly nothin g more definite behind them than the u ni ve rs al
fan c y o f mankind .
To a somewhat difl e re nt c ate g ory belon g the tutelaries o r ,
d aemon s atta c hed a s g u ardian s to individu als and t he re ,
’
s idu a o f on c e—l ivin g bein g s whi c h c orres p ond to t he Eu ro p ean s
c on c e p tions o f g hosts and sou ls Both o f these c las ses o f bein g s
.
The I ndian s tutela ry is
’
a r e rel ated t o visionary ex p erien c e
4
.
c ommonly revealed to him in a fast—in du c ed vision es p e c i ally ,
i n the p eriod of p ubes c en c e ; from the n atu re o f the revelation
c omes his o w n c on c e p tion of himself vision o f a wea p on o r a
s c al p will mean that he i s to be a wa rrior Of a g ame-animal ,
tha t he will su c c eed in the c hase o f a g hostly bein g t hat he will
,
b e a med i c ine-man o f renown ; and from it he fashions an ima g e ,
o r fab ri c ates a bu ndle whi c h is t o be his p ersonal an d p otent
med i c ine ; sometimes he even derives his n am e
,
t he se c ret —
n ame whi c h he may reveal only af t er some ex p loit has j u s
,
t ifi e d it from the s ame sou r c e S imil arly g hosts and thei r
.
,
kind are li keliest seen in t he c ou rse o f s p i rit j ou rneys in t ran c e —
,
o r d ream ; o r if beheld by the eyes of flesh
,
t hey may b e dis ,
“ ”
p e l l e d by the tau nt ,
Thou art only a g host ! Get thee g one .
14 6 N O RTH AM E R I CA N M YTH O LO G Y
O n th e other hand a g host th at is feared may be a fatal
,
an
t ag o n ist .
G h os t s and soul s are distin c t I n several tribes g hosts are .
reg arded as the S hadows o f so u ls ; they dres s and a p p ear li k e
t he man himself So u ls may m ake j ou rneys from the livin g
.
body and retu rn a g ain ; in the c ase o f shaman s they may rea c h
the l and of soul s i t self and still c ome ba c k Sou l s o f the dea d
,
.
may be rein c arnated in hu man bodies ; u su ally this is in the i r
o wn families ; some tribes s ay th at only c hild ren are so reborn .
A g ain so u ls a re frequently re g a rded a s manikins a few i n c he s
, ,
hi g h a c on c ep tion fou nd all over the earth ; and the no i se s
o f the s p irit-world es p e c ially the voi c es o f the s hades a re th i n
, ,
and shrill o r li ke the c ryin g o f a c hild 20
.
Ghosts as distin g u ished from so u ls or s p ir i ts a re of a more
, ,
substant i al c hara c ter They are wraiths o f the dead but they
12
.
,
assume m at erial forms and at times enter into human rel a
,
tions w i th l ivin g p eop le even marria g e and p arenta g e O ften
,
.
the g host is dete c ted a s su c h only when his body is seen trans
p arent with,
the S keleton revealed and we a re reminded o f
the Es kimo ghosts men when beheld fa c e to fa c e but s keleton s
, ,
when p erc e i ved from behind R em i nis c ent o f another E s kim o .
ide a the C annib al B abe i s the Montan a le g end o f the Weep
, ,
in g C hild 19
A traveller p as sin g a c ertain p la c e would hear an
.
infant c rying ; go i n g thither he wou l d find the b abe and take ,
it in his a rms and g ive it hi s fin g er to qu iet i t ; but the c hil d
wou ld su c k all the flesh from his bones so th at a g reat p ile o f ,
S keletons marked its monstrou s lair Th e Kli c kitat a Shahap .
,
tian tribe o f the lower C olumb ia h ave a story o f the u nion of ,
“
a mo rtal and a g host c u riou sly l ike the Pawnee tale o f The
”
Man who Ma rried a S p irit The Kli c kitat bu ried their dead
.
o n island s o f the river and it was here th at the body o f a you n
, g
c hief was c arried B ut neither hi s so u l o n the isle o f the dead
.
, ,
n o r the mind o f hi s beloved wh o wa s w i th her
p eo p le c ou l d
, ,
forg et o ne another an d so he c ame to her i n a Vision and c alled
,
her t o him At ni g ht her father took her i n a c anoe to the
.
14 8 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
ward des c end s a lon g g en t le slo p e and te rminates at a wid e
,
,
shallow stream o f very c lear water This is s p anned by a lon g .
slender lo g o n whi c h t he t ra c ks o f t he soul s may be seen
,
.
A f t er c rossin g the traveller ,
finds himself a g ain o n the trail ,
whi c h now as c ends to a hei g ht hea p ed with an immense p ile o f
c lothes the belon g in g s whi c h t he —
so u ls h ave b rou g ht from the l and
o f the livin g and whi c h they mu st
leave here From this p oint the .
trail i s level and g radu ally gr ows ,
l i g hter Three g u ard ian s are sta .
t io ne d alon g this road o ne o n eithe r ,
S ide o f the river and the thi rd at
the end of the p ath ; it is the i r duty
to send ba c k those souls whose t i me
i s not yet c ome to enter the lan d of
the dead Some sou ls p as s the fi rst .
two o f these only to be tu rned b a c k ,
by the third who i s thei r c hief an d ,
is a n orator who sometimes send s
mes sages to the livin g by the t e
tu rnin g so u ls A ll o f t hese men a re .
very o ld grey-headed wise and , , ,
venerable A t the end o f the trai l .
i s a g reat lod g e mou nd -l i ke in form , ,
with doors at the easte rn and the
l
if
F S
f tf v iff fb5
Z l L
SlP l S
F
lV IA
ls l
western sides and with a double
p O
,
ie r r a a rr a
Th m p Ri I d i n ( ) W t I O W Of fi res extendin g th rou g h It
‘
o so n v er n a . a es .
w d t il t t h U d w l d ( b ) When the de eased fr i ends o f a e r
ar ra o e n er or .
Ri p
c
ve r ( )
. L n dC f t ha D d ( )
d o e ea .
S n i
u P i nt;
r se o( ) Mi dd l p l so n ex p e c t his sou l to a rr ive they
9 e ac e .
,
Aft er MAM "34 3 1
as semble here and tal k about his
°
dea t h A s the de c eased rea c hes the entran c e he hea rs p e o p le
.
,
o n t he other side tal k i ng laugh i ng s i n ing and beatin g d rums
g , , ,
.
Some stand at the door to wel come him and c all hi s name .
O n enterin g a wide c ountry o f d ivers i fied as p e c t s p read s o u t
,
M O U N TA I N AN D D E S E RT 149
before him There is a sweet smell o f flowers and an abu n
.
d an c e o f g rass and all a round are berry bu shes l aden wi t h ri p e
,
-
fru it The air is p leasant and st ill and it is always li g ht and
.
,
warm More than h alf t he p eo p le are d an c in g and s in g in g to
.
the a c c om p animent o f d rums All a re n aked but do not seem .
,
t o noti c e i t Th e p eop le a re deli g hted to see the new c omer
.
,
take him u p o n thei r shou lders ru n a round with him and , ,
m ake a g reat noise .
VII . P R O P H ET S AN D TH E G H O ST D A N C E
- 5
A s p i rit-j ou rney and a revelation i s the s an c t ion whi c h c re
ates a n I ndian p ro p het Shama n and medi c ine man alike
.
-
c laim t his p ower o f s p iritu al vision and the re c ord s o f inves t i
,
a t ors su ffi c iently S how th a t t he I nd ian p ossesses in fu ll de ree
g g
this fo rm o f mysti c ex p erien c e B ehind nearly every im p ortant
.
movement o f the I ndian p eo p les lies some tran c e o f seer o r
p ro p het to whom the tribes look for g u id an c e
,
U nderneath .
“ ”
the c ons p i ra c y o f Pontia c were the v i s ions and tea c hin g s o f
a Del awa re p rop het , who had vis ited the Master o f L ife and
re c eived from h i m a mess a g e demandin g the redem p tion o f
’
the I ndian s land s and life from white p ollution ; the tran c es o f
Te n s k wat aw a were the ins p iration o f his b rother the g reat ,
c hief Te c u mseh in the most formid able o p p osition ever or g an
,
iz e d by I ndian s a g ainst the whites ; K a n a k u k the p rop he t o f the ,
Ki c ka p oo tal ked with the Grea t S p irit and brou g ht ba c k to
, ,
h is tribe a mes sa g e o f sob riety and indu s t ry p ea c e and p iety ,
.
O f the l ater p ro p hets the mos t no t ab le have been men of t he
fa r West Sm o h alla c hief of a smal l Shaha p tian t ribe of Was h
.
,
“
in g t o n who wa s c alled by h is p eo p le
,
Th e Shoutin g Mou n
”
tain be c au se they believed t ha t his revelation c ame from a
livin g hill whi c h S p oke to him as he l ay en t ran c ed fou nded a ,
se c t of D reamers whose main tenet was hostility to the ways
,
o f t he white man and ins isten c e t ha t the land o f the I ndian
“ ’ ”
should be I ndians land : My you n g men shall never work ,
1 50 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
he s aid ; men who work c annot d ream and w i sdom c omes to ,
”
u s in d reams This was the do c trine whi c h ins p ired C hief
.
Josep h and h is Nez Per c é i n the wonderfu l ex p loit whi c h
“
marked the exodu s o f his tribe in 1 8 77 the E arth is ou r
Mother ; she shall not be torn by p lo w nor hoe ; ne i ther shall
”
s he be sold nor g iven from the hand o f her c hild ren
,
.
V ery simila r is the tea c hin g of the Pa i ute p rop het Wovoka , ,
“ ”
the I nd ian mess iah whose p romises o f a regenerat i on o f the
,
life o f the R ed Man w i th the forei g ner destroyed o r d riven
,
from his an c ient holdin g s s p read throu g hout all the tribes o f the
,
Plains and Mou ntain s and eventu ated in the Sioux u p risin g
,
o f 1 8 90 and the tra g edy of Wou nded Knee Wovoka is the .
so n o f a p ro p het ; his home a stri p of valley p rairie su rrou nded
by the dark walls o f vol c ani c S ierra s Here when he was about .
,
“ ”
thi rty-three i n the yea r when the su n died ( p rob ably the
,
e c li p se o f Janu ary I he de c lared that he went u p to
,
heaven an d saw God and re c eived a messa g e to all I nd ian s
, ,
that they mu st love o n e another th at they mu st not fi g ht no r , ,
steal nor lie and he re c e i ved also a d an c e whi c h he wa s to
, ,
b r i n g to them a s p ledge and p rom i se o f thei r early redem p t i on
from the ru le o f the whites The dead are a ll alive a g ain the .
,
p ro p het tau g ht ; al ready they h ave rea c hed the boundaries o f
ea rth led by the s p i rit c a p tain in the form o f a c lou d When
,
.
they a rrive the earth will shake the si c k be healed the o ld
, , ,
m ade you n g and the free life o f t he I ndian a g ain restored
,
.
A mong many o f the tribes the d an c e whi c h they were to co n
t inu e u ntil the d ay o f the advent assumed the form of e c stasy
and tran c e in whi c h visiona ry sou ls would p er c eive the a dv a n c
,
ing hosts o f the S p i r i t I ndians the buffalo on c e more fillin g the
,
’
p ra i ries and the Powers o f the I ndian s u niverse retu rnin g to
,
t heir an c ient ru le B etter than au g ht else the Ghost-D an c e
.
son g s c olle c ted by Mooney from the var i ou s tribes among whom
,
the reli g ion s p read g ive the true s p irit of the c reed a nd at the
, ,
same time aff ord an i nsi g ht into the reli g iou s feelin g whi c h
’
g oes far dee p er in the I ndian s ex p erien c e than story-made
P LA T E X X I
G ho st—Danc e , p a i nt e d o n bu c k s k i n b
y a Ut e c a pti v e
amo ng t he C h eye nne in 1 8 9 1 C h eye nn e and A ra p
.
aho are t he dan c e rs ; t he p ro st rate fo rm s in t he c e ntre
re re s e nt e rs o n s e nt ra n c ed ; th e rou nd obj t is a
p p e c
bl an ket ; b e fo re it Stand s a m ed i c in e-m an hypnoti z i ng
a s ubj ec t Now in Uni ted St ate s N at i o n al Mu s e um
. .
A ft e r 1 4 AR B E p a rt 2 Pl at e C IX
, , .
1 52 NO R TH A M E R I C A N M YT H O L O G Y
mony but from the Plains tribes who develo p ed i t to it s
,
in t ensest form Es p e c ially fine a re the A ra p aho son g s Th e
. .
Whirlwind is still the mi g hty p ower the Psy c hop om p os —
,
leadin g t h e g hos t ly visi t ants
O u r fath er, th e Wh i rl w in d
B y i t s a i d I am runnin g s w i ft l y ,
B y wh i c h m eans I sa w our f a th er .
The Whirlwind is p ersonified thu s
I c irc le a ro un d
,
I c irc le a ro un d
Th e bo un d aries o f th e Ear th ,
W e a ring th e l o ng w in g fea th ers as I fly .
Many son g s are devoted to the b ird messen g ers o f the Ghost
Dan c e to the mythi c al Thu nderbird s and to the C row whi c h
,
is the sa c red bird o f the d an c e ; and in these there i s almost
always a note o f exaltation
I fly a roun d y ellow ,
I fly aro un d y ell ow ,
I fly w i th th e w il d rose on my h ea d ,
O n hig h H e
’ ’ ’
e e l
O n h ig h He e c l
’ ’ ’
.
U p lifted too and exultant i s the note
, ,
o f a nother A ra p aho
son g to the F ather
,
F a th er now I am sin g in g i t
,
Hi ’
n i ni
’
Fath e r now I a m sin g ing i t
,
That l o u d es t son g o f a ll
,
Th a t re soun d in g son g
A g ain the note stru c k is c osmogoni c w i th a referen c e ba c k
, ,
to the old beliefs o f the I nd ians in this c ase to the A l g on
qu ian c on c e p tion o f the Tu rtle whose c ara p a c e su p p orts the
E arth
At th e b eg inning o f h u m an e xis t en c e I
I t w as th e Turt le wh o g ave th is g r ateful g i ft to m e,
The Ear th I
Th us my f a th er tol d m e
’ ’
A he eye
M OU N TA I N AN D D E S E RT 1 53
B ut the c ommonest note o f all and t he o ne th at best su m
,
m a riz e s t he whole s p irit not only o f the Ghos t Dan c e but o f
,
-
,
the p ro p he c y of t he I ndians th rou g h all the later p eriod when
they h ave felt themselves inevitably su c c umbin g before the
h ard en c roa c hments of the whi t e ra c e is the note o f sorrowfu l
,
su p p li c ation a p leadin g fo r hel p Th e most p athe t i c o f these
,
.
“ ” “
son g s su n g s ays Mooney to a p l aintive tu ne some t imes
, , , ,
”
with tears rollin g down the c heeks o f the d an c ers is t hat whi c h
,
’ ’
he c all s the I nd ian s L ord s Prayer
Fa th e r h ave p i ty on m e
, ,
Fath e r h ave p i ty o n m e ;
,
I am c ry in g fo r th irs t ,
I a m c ry in g for th irs t ;
All is g one I h ave no th ing t o e at .
The hu n g er and thirs t here meant are o f the s p irit a nd th e ,
su stena n c e that the I nd ian su p p li c ates i s the s p ir i tu al food
and d rin k whi c h will su p p ort h i m through the hars h tr i al s o f
a c hanging life .
C H A P T E R VII I
MO U N T A IN AN D D E S E R T
( Co ntinu ed)
I . THE NAVA H O AN D TH E I R G O DS
HE Navaho s p ea k an A tha p as c an ton g u e , bu t i n blood
they are o ne o f the most m i xed o f I nd ian p eo p les with ,
numerou s infu sions from ne i g hbou rin g tribes additions h avin g ,
c ome to them from the more c ivilized Pu eblo dwellers a s wel l
a s from the wanderin g tribes o f the desert B ut va riou s a s i s .
the i r ori g in the N avaho have a c u ltu ral u nity an d d i st i n c tion
,
sett i n g them in hi g h relief amon g I ndian p eo p les They p ra e .
ti se a varied a g r i c u ltu re are herdsmen even more than hu nts
,
men and have develop ed arts su c h a s b lanket weavi n g a nd
, ,
s ilversmith i n g whi c h h ave m ade them p re-em i nent amon g
,
I ndian c raftsmen I t i s c hiefly in the matter o f hab i tation
.
that they a re i nferior to the tribes o f the p ueblos for u ntil ,
re c ently they h ave p ersistently ad hered to tem p ora ry dwell
i n g s ( p a rtly it i s su p p osed be c au se o f the su p e rst i tion wh i c h
, ,
c alls for the abandonment o f a hou se i n wh i c h a death h as
o c c u rred )—
the hog an o r ea rth hut for winter the b rus h
, , ,
S helter fo r su mmer res iden c e .
I n p arti c ul ar the N avaho h ave develo p ed an a rtisti c p ower
whi c h has wo n for them the admiration o f the white ra c e with ,
whom thei r work find s a ready market ; thou g h it i s p erha p s I n
the u nmerc hantable wares o f the mind in myth and p oet ry , ,
and their c u r i ou sly e p hemeral s and -p aintin g that their p owers
are revealed at thei r best Their reli g iou s ritu als a re c ha ra c
.
t e riz e d by elaborate masques far more in the natu re o f d rama
,
than o f d an c e ; by c y c les o f u nu su ally p oeti c son g ( thou g h their
1 56 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
typ e o f thinkin g The ba c k g rou nd o f the mythi c world o f the
.
Navaho is filled in wi t h c las ses o f bein g s sometimes emergin g ,
into d is t in c t individu als sometimes s inkin g b a c k into va g ue
,
kinds su c h as are found in the p rotean strata o f every mythol
,
o gy beings l ike the Satyrs Panes Keres and D aimones o f , , ,
the Greeks o r the lo c al and hou sehold g od lings o f the R omans
,
.
The Yei o f the Navaho fo r the most p a rt gen ii loco r u m nu m , ,
ber amon g them many su c h kinds : fi re-g odl in g s and g o d
3
lin g s o f t he c hase c orn s p i rits and harvest deities su c h a s the
, ,
“ ”
G a n as k id i o r Hum p ba c ks who bea r c lou d -hum p s u p on thei r
, ,
’
ba c ks and ram s horns o n thei r heads and sometimes a p p ea r ,
in t he g u ise o f t he R o c ky Mou ntain S hee p O ther Y ei a p .
p roa c h the di g nity and im p ortan c e o f g reat g ods thou g h thei r ,
homes are the wild p l a c es mou ntains an d c averns o f ea rth — — °
amon g these Tho n e nli the Water S p rin kler and es p e c ially
, ,
“
H ast she y a lt i the Tal kin g G o d ( also known as Y e bit sh ai Ma
, ,
t ern al Grandfather o f the and H a st she ho g an the ,
Hou se-Go d hold hi g h p ositions in t he Navaho p antheon an d
,
fi g u re im p ortantly i n myth and ritu al Hast s he y alt i i s g o d o f .
the d awn and the east Ha st she ho g a n o f evenin g and the west ;
,
w hite maize i s H a st she y alt i s and yellow Hast she ho g a n s ; and
’ ’
it is from white and yellow maize that man and woman a re
c reated by the od s u nder the su erv i sion o f these two Y ei
g p
C hieftains
35
.
The Yei a re i n the main b e n e fi c e n t and kindly to man .
A nother c l as s the A naye o r A lien God s a re man —destroyers
, , ,
monsters g iants beasts o r bog ies The worst o f them were
,
2
, ,
.
s lain by the Sons o f t he Su n lon g ago but the ra c e is not yet ,
utterly destroyed Still another evil kind is made u p o f the
.
Ts hin d i or Devils u g ly and venomou s
, ,
amon g whom i s ,
—
numbered t he Corp se S p i rit whi c h remains with the body when ,
the soul de p arts to the lower world 12
O ther c lasses c om p r i se .
the Animal Elders su c h a s a re u nivers al in I ndian lore ; the
,
”
D i g ini half wizard half S p rite dwellin g in t he s t ran g e and fan
, , ,
t ast ic formations with whi c h vol c ani c fire and erodin g water s
P LA T E XX I I
Na v aho g od s fro m a d ry o r s and-p a i nting T he
, .
fi gu re w ith t he re c ta ngu l a r he ad is a fe ma l e d i vi nity
,
w ith a rm s c o ve red w ith ye l low p o lle n T he rou nd
.
h e ad ed fi g ure s are ma l e d ei ti e s t he o n e c a rryi ng a
,
l i ghtning bo w a nd a rattl e t he othe r ha v i ng a c l oud
,
s ac k o n h is ba c k a nd a b as k et b e fo re h i m T he
.
c o l ou rs a n d o rnam e nt s are symbo li c o f ma i z e an d
oth e r v egetat i o n o f ra in li g ht n i ng fertility e tc
, , , , .
A ft e r [14l v i Pl at e V III
, .
M O U N TA I N AND D E S E RT 1 57
h ave made the Navaho c ou ntry p i c tu resqu e ; and the Water
Powers amon g whom Tie ho lt so di o f the waters beneath the
, ,
ea rth is the most p owerfu l
,
9
.
The hi g hest p la c e in the Navaho p antheon i s he ld by Est sa
“
7
n at le h i,
the Woman Who C han g es f o r like the Phoenix , ,
when she be c omes o ld she transforms herself a g ain into a
,
you n g g irl and lives a renewed life Thou g h s he ori g inated o n
46
.
ea rth her home i s now in the west o n an island c reated for
, ,
her by the Su n-C arrier who made her his wife From that
,
.
d i re c tion c ome the rain s th at water the Navaho c ou ntry an d
the winds that foretel l the s p rin g ; and it is therefore a p p ro
’
p r ia t e that the g oddes s o f natu re s fru itfu lness shoul d dwell
there The you n g er s ister o f Est san at le hi is Y o l k a i Est san
.
,
the Whi t e S hell Woman wife o f the Moon-C arrier Kle han o ai
, , .
The white shel l is her symbol and she is related to the waters
, ,
a s her s ister whose token is t he tu rquoise is akin to the ea rth ;
, ,
white is the c olou r of the d awn and the east blu e o f midday an d ,
the south and it i s with the ma g i c o f these c olou rs that the
,
’ ’
two s isters kind le the su n s dis k and the moon s althou g h ,
a cc ord in g to Navaho myth whi c h is by no means always
,
c onsistent the Sun -G o d and the Moon —God were in existen c e
,
before the sisters were c reated .
O f the male deities worshi p p ed by the N avaho the most ,
i m p ortant are the b rothers N ay a ne z g a n i Slayer o f the A lien
, ,
Gods and Tho b a dz ist shini C hild o f the Wa ters
, ,
44
I n some .
s tories these are re p resented as twins o f the Su n -C a rrier an d
Est sa n at le h i ; in others Tho b a dz ist s h in i i s the c hild o f Water
,
a n d Y o l k a i Est sa n These two b rothers a re the new g enera
.
tion o f g od s whi c h overth row the monsters and b rin g to a n end
the Ag e o f Giants Their home i s o n a mou ntain in the c entre
.
o f the N avaho c ou ntry to wh i c h wa rriors betake themselves
,
to p ray fo r p rowes s and su c c ess in wa r K le h a no ai t he Moon .
,
C arrier is sometimes identified with a deity by the name o f
,
B e k o t shidi re p resented a s a n Ol d man and re g arded a s the
, ,
c reator o f many o f the beasts es p e c i ally the l a rg er g ame and
,
1 58 N O RTH A M E R I CA N M YT H OLO G Y
the domes t i c animal s ; his home i s in the east and many o f the ,
Navaho t h ink t hat he is the g o d worshi p p ed by the white men .
Another my t hi c p air of im p ortan c e are t he Fi rst Man A tse ,
Has t in and t he Fi rst Woman Atse Est sa n who were c reated
, , ,
in t he lower worl d from ea rs o f maize ; it is they who led the
Fi rst Peop le into t he world in whi c h we live Coyo t e who 48
.
,
is a c ons p i c uou s fi g u re in adventu res seriou s and lu di c rou s ,
thou g h he never p lays the r dle o f demiu rg e su c h as he su stains ,
amon g many I ndian tribes i s sometimes re p resented a s a c ,
c om p anyin g these two Elders from the lower world S p ider .
Woman is an u nderg round wit c h ( the la rg e s p iders o f the
South-West make thei r nests i n the g rou nd ) fr i endly with her ,
ma g i c ; and Nilt shi the Wind s aves many a hero by whis p erin g
, ,
timely c ou nsels in his ea r O ther bein g s a re little more than
.
l ay fi g u res : su c h a re Mira g e B oy Ground—Heat Girl White , ,
C orn Boy Yellow—C orn Girl R o c k-C rystal B oy Pollen Boy
, , , ,
G rassho p p er Gi rl e t c a few o u t o f the multitu de whi c h
,
.
-
seem to be in many c ases merely p e rso n ifi cat io n s o f obj e c ts
, ,
im p ortant in ritu al p ra c ti c es .
The most im p o rtant c u lt-symbol s em p loyed by the N avaho
a re a rran g ed in g rou p s a cc ordin g to thei r system o f c olou r
s ymbolism 31
white the m antle o f d awn fo r the east ; blue
, , ,
the robe o f the azu re sky for the south ; yellow the raiment , ,
of the su nset for the west ; bla c k the blanket o f ni g ht for
, , ,
”
t he north Thu s the j ewels o f the res p e c tive qu a rters a re
.
,
e ast ,
white S hell beads and ro c k-c rystal ; south tu rquoise ; ,
we st haliotis shell ( re g arded by the N avaho a s yellow) ; north
, ,
27
bla c k stones o r c a nn e I c oal
- B i rd s a re sim i la rly denoted by
.
the hues o f their feathers ; anim als by thei r hides ; m aize by
the colou r o f its kernels white blu e yellow and fo r the
—
, , , ,
n orth va rieg ated ( the no rth i s sometimes all c olou rs in
,
—
,
s t ead o f bl a c k ) The c olou rs a re u sed also in the sand -p aint
.
i n g s o r d rawin g s whi c h form an im p o r t ant and d istin c tive
, ,
fea t u re of Navaho r i tes ; and in the p aintin g o f the p rayer
s ti c ks frequently adorned with feathers whi c h w i th p ollen
,
60
, ,
160 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YTH O LO G Y
is t e n c eeven here) Fo r the s in o f adultery these p eo p le were
.
d riven ou t by a flood raised by the U nderworld g od s and a s 49
,
th ey flew u p ward seekin g a p lac e of es c a p e a blue head wa s
, ,
t h ru s t from t he sky and d ire c ted them to a ho le leadin g into the
next s torey This se c ond world wa s blue and wa s inhab i ted
.
,
by t he Swallow Peo p le Here they lived t ill o n the twen t y
.
,
fou r t h ni g ht o ne o f t he stran g ers made free with the wife of
,
the S w allo w c hief ; an d they were c ommanded to leave Ag ai n .
they flew u p w ard and a g ai n a voi c e
,
that o f N ilt shi the —
,
Wind di re c ted them t o an o p enin g by whi c h they es c a p ed
into the thi rd storey Here t hey were in a yellow world in
.
,
habi t ed by Gras sho p p ers ; but exa c tly what ha p p ened in t he
world below was rep eated here and on c e more dire c t ed by a
,
Wind t hey flew u p into the fou rth storey whi c h was all ,
c olou red
31
.
The fou rth world was larg er than the others and had a
snow c overed mou ntain at ea c h o f the c ardinal p oints I ts in
-
.
h abitants were Kisani ( Pueblo I ndians ) who p os ses sed c ulti ,
v at e d field s and g ave the wanderers maize and p um p kins The .
fou r g od s o f thi s worl d were White Body B lue Body Y ellow , ,
Body and B la c k Body and these c reated A tse Has t in ( Fi rst
, ,
Man ) and At se Est sa n ( Fi rst Woman ) from ea rs o f white and ,
”
yellow maize re sp e c t iv e ly s To this p ai r c ame five bi rths o f
5
tw i ns o f whom the fi rst were herma p h rodites who invented
,
64
,
p ottery and the w i c ker water bottle Th e other twins inter
-
.
m a rried with the Mira g e Peo p le Who dwelt in this world and
, ,
with the Kisani and soon there was a mu ltitu de o f p eo p le
,
u nder the c hieftainshi p o f Fi rst Man .
“
O ne day they s aw the S ky stoop in g down and the Ea rth
rising to meet it A t the p o i nt o f c onta c t Coyote and B ad g er
.
s p ran g down from the world above ; B ad g er d es c ended in t o
the world below but C oyote remained with the p eo p le I t
,
.
w a s at t hi s time that t he men and women qu arrelled and tried
the ex p eriment o f living a p a rt ; at fi rst the women had p lenty
o f food but eventu ally they were starv i n g and rej oined the
,
M O U N TA I N A ND D E S E RT 16 1
m en . Two g irls however who were the last to c ros s the
, ,
stream that had se p arated the sexes were seized by Tie ho l ,
t so d i and d ra g g ed beneath t he waters
,
29
Gu ided by the g ods .
,
a man and a w om an des c ended t o re c over t hem but C oyote ,
s u rre p t itiou sly a c c om p anied t hem and u n p er c eived stole two
, ,
o f t he o ff s p rin g o f t he Water Monster S ho rtly afterward a .
,
flood w as sent by the Monster hi g h as mou ntains en c ir c lin g
,
”
the whole horizon The p eo p le fled to a hill and va riou s ani
.
m als a tt em p ted to p rovide a means o f es c a p e by c au sin g trees
t o outg row the risin g waters but it was not u n t il two men
,
a p p eared bea rin g earth from the seven s a c red mou ntains o f
,
’
w hat i s now the Navaho s l and t h at a soil w a s made from ,
w hi c h g rew a hu g e h ollow reed rea c hin g to the s k y ,
42
The .
l as t of t he p eo p le were s c a r c ely in this stal k and the o p enin g ,
c losed b efore t hey hea rd the lou d noise o f t he su rg in g waters
,
o u t side Bu t there was still no O p enin g in the s k y above They
. .
s ent u p the Great H awk w h o c l awed the heaven till he c ou ld
,
s ee li g ht shinin g th rou g h ; the L o c u st followed and made a ,
tiny p as sa g e t o t he world above where he w a s met by fou r ,
G rebes from the fou r qu ar t ers and in a ma g i c c ontes t wo n
,
h alf o f thei r worl d ; finally the B ad g er enl arg ed the hole so
,
t hat p eo p le c ou ld g o th rou g h and all c limbed into the fifth
,
world whose su rfa c e is o u r ea rth
,
.
The p la c e of emerg en c e was an islet in the m iddle o f a lake ,
b u t t he g ods op ened a p ass a g e and t hey c rossed to the shores
,
.
I t was here that they sou g ht to divine t heir fa t e and a hide ,
“
s c ra p er was thrown into the water : I f it sin ks we p erish if i t ,
”
fl oats we live I t floated bu t C oyote c ast in a s t one s ayin g
.
, , ,
”
L et me d ivine : if it sinks w e p erish if i t floats we live ,
It .
s ank and in answer to the exe c ration s o f t he p eo p le he said
, ,
“
I f we all live and c on t inu e t o in c rease the earth will soon b e ,
too small t o hold u s I t is better t ha t ea c h o f u s shou ld live
.
” 16
b ut a t ime o n t his earth and m ake room for o u r c hild ren .
B u t t he p eril of the flood wa s not yet es c a p ed fo r waters ,
w ere ob served wellin g u p from the hole o f emerg en c e Then .
16 2 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
i t was d is c overed t hat C oyote h ad with him the stolen o ff
s p rin g o f Tie ho lt so d i A t on c e the p eo p le threw them into t h e
.
hole and wi t h a deafenin g roar the waters subsided Shor t ly
,
.
af t er t his the first death o c c u rred and two hu nters lookin g
, , ,
down into the lower world beheld the de c eased c omb in g he r
,
hai r as s he s at beside a river The two men died very soon ;
,
.
so that the p eo p le knew that a g host i s a thin g ill seen .
First Man and Fi rst Woman B la c k Body and B lue Body , ,
bu ilt the seven mou ntains o f the Navaho land o ne at ea c h ,
“
c ardinal p oint and three i n the c entre
,
Th rou g h Ts isn a .
d z in i [Pelado Peak New Mexi c o ] in the east they ran a bolt
, , ,
o f li g htnin g to fasten it to earth They de c orated it wit h .
white shells white li g htnin g white c orn d ark c lou ds and he
, , , ,
rain They se t a b ig bowl o f she ll o n i t s summi t and in it they
.
,
p u t two e gg s o f t he Pi g eon to ma ke feathers fo r the mou n
tain The e gg s they c overed w i th a sa c red bu c ks kin to make
.
them ha t c h [there are many w i ld p i g eons in this mou ntai n
n o w] . All t hese thin g s they c overed with a sheet o f d ayli g ht ,
and they p u t the R o c k-C rystal B oy and the R o c k-C rysta l
” 27
Girl in t o the mou ntain to dwell Mount Taylor o f the Sa n.
,
Mateo ran g e is the sou thern mou ntain and thi s was p inne d
, ,
to ea rth with a g reat stone knife adorned with tu rquoise , ,
’
mist and she—rain nested with b luebird s e gg s g u arded by
, , ,
Tu rquoise B oy and C orn Gi rl and c overed w i th a blan ket o f ,
blu e s k y San Fran c is c o in A rizona the mou nta i n o f t he
.
, ,
west w a s bou nd with a su nbeam de c ked with haliotis shell
, , ,
c lou ds he -rain yellow maize and animals nested with e gg s
, , ,
o f the Y ellow Wa rbler s read with yellow c lou d and made t he
p , ,
home o f White-Corn B oy and Y ellow—Corn Girl San Ju an .
,
i n the north wa s fastened with a rainbow adorned wi t h bla c k
, ,
bead s nested with e g g s o f the B l a c kbi rd sheeted with d ark
, ,
nes s and made the abode of Pollen B oy and Grassho p p er G i rl
,
31
.
I n a simila r fashion the three c entral mou ntains were bu ilt .
The Su n -Dis k the Moon-Dis k and the Stars were then mad e
, ,
by First Man and First Woman and two men from amon g ,
1 64 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M Y TH O LO G Y
whom he se es t oss u p t hei r eyes and c atc h them a g ain in t he
so c kets and o f the substitution o f g u m eyes whi c h melt a s
, ,
fi re is a p p roa c hed for the eyes he h as lost ; the story o f ho w
,
C oyote killed a g iant by p retend in g to b reak and he al his own
leg and indu c in g the g iant to follow hi s exam p le ; and the
,
le g end whi c h is a p p arently a version o f the fi re-theft t ale o f
, ,
ho w Coyo t e ma rries a w it c h w ho is u nable to k ill him is co n ,
ce a le d by her from her man -devou rin g b rothe rs steal s fi re ,
from thei r lod g e i s p erse c uted by animal s at the insti g ation o f
,
the b rothers and is aven g ed by hi s wife who i s t ransformed
, ,
into a bea r The youn g est b ro ther however wi t h the aid o f
.
, ,
t he winds es c a p es the Bea r Woman and eventu ally kills her
, ,
c au sin g her to live a g ain in the form o f the several animal s ,
whi c h s p rin g from the p a rts o f her body as he c uts it u p .
Here end the a dventu res o f the Ag e o f A nimals The ensu i n g .
i s the Age o f the New God s The Y ei u nder t he leadershi p .
,
o f H a st s h e y alt i c reate Est s a n a t l e hi
,
the g reat g oddess who
rej uvenates herself whenever S he g rows o ld from an i ma g e
o f tu rquoise and her s ister Y o l k ai Est sa n from white she ll
, , ,
.
E a c h S ister g ives bi rth to a so n ; Est s a n at le hi be comes the
mother o f N ay a ne z g a n i whose father is the Sun ; Y o l k ai
,
Est s a n o f Tho b ad z ist s h in i So n o f the Waters
,
44
C ou nselled .
by N ilt s hi the Wind and aided by S p ider Woman who g ives
, , ,
them life-p re se rvin g feathers the boys j ou rney to the home ,
o f the Su n -C a rrier p assin g with m a g i c aids c lashin g ro c ks
, ,
whi c h like the Sym p leg ades c lose u p on those who go between
, ,
them ; a p lain o f knifeli ke reeds and another o f c ane c a c tu ses ,
whi c h rush tog ether and destroy travellers and finally a d es ,
e rt o f bo ilin g s ands B ea r gu ardians serp ent gu ardians and
8
.
, ,
’
li g htnin g g u ardians still bar thei r way t o the Su n s hou s e ,
but these too they over c ome by means o f the S p ider s S p ell s
, ,
’
.
I n the lod g e o f the Su n whi c h is o f tu rquoise and stand s on
,
the shore o f a g reat water the c hild ren o f the Su n-C arrier
,
c on c eal them in a bundle ; but the Sun -C a rrier knew o f thei r
’
c omin g ,and when he had a rrived at the end o f the d ay s
M O U N TA I N A ND D E S E RT 16 5
j ou rney and had taken the Su n from his ba c k and hu n g it o n
,
a p eg o n the west wall o f his lod g e he took down the p a r c el ,
.
“
He fi rst u nrolled the robe o f d awn with wh i c h they were
c overed ,
then the robe o f blue sky next the robe o f yellow ,
evenin g li g h t and l as t ly t he robe o f d arknes s
,
I n a series o f .
tes t s he tried to s lay the boys but findin g at l ast th at he c oul d , ,
n o t do so ,
he a c c eded to t heir request for wea p ons with whi c h
to fi g ht the bein g s t hat were devou rin g mankind a rmou r —
from every j oin t o f whi c h li g htnin g shot a g reat stone knife , ,
and a rrows o f li g htnin g o f sunbeams and o f the rainbow
, , .
The b rothers retu rned to ear t h o n a li g h t nin g flash and in a ,
series o f adventu res li ke the labou rs o f Herc u les c leansed the
, ,
world o f the g re t e r p a rt o f the man -devou rin g monsters whi c h
‘
infested it O n a se cond visit to t he Su n they re c eived fou r
.
,
hoo p s by means o f whi c h their mother Est san at le hi raised a , ,
reat storm whi c h brou g ht to an end the Ag e o f Monsters an d
g
formed the ea rth anew sha p in g the c anyons and hewin g p il
,
“
lars o f ro c k from the an c ient bluff s Su rely all the A naye .
”
are no w killed s aid Est sa n at le hi ; but O ld Ag e Cold Poverty
, , , ,
and Hun g er still su rv ived and were allowed to live o n ; fo r ,
shou ld they be slain they s aid men wou l d p rize ne i ther life
, ,
no r warmth nor g ood s nor food
16
.
When this had been a cc om p l ished the b rothers retu rned to ,
the mou ntain whi c h i s thei r home and wh i ther wa rriors go t o ,
p ray for su c c es s in wa r
59
T hen the Su n -God
. after c reat i ng ,
the a nim als whi c h inhab it the earth de p arted for the far Wes t ,
where he h ad made a lod g e beyond the waters fo r Est s an at , ,
lehi who be c ame his wife and the g reat g od des s o f the west
, ,
the sou rc e o f the life-b rin g in g ra i ns Eve ry day as he j ou rneys .
,
toward the west the Su n-C arr i er s i n g s
,
In th ou g ht s I a p p roa c h
my ,
The Su n G od a p p roa c h e s
-
,
Ear th s en d h e a p p roa c h es
’
,
Es t san at l e hi s h e a r th a p p r o a c h e s
’
,
In O ld ag e walking th e b eau ti ful t rail .
1 66 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
In m y tho u g ht s I a p p ro a c h ,
The Mo o n-G o d a p p ro a c h es ,
Ea r th s en d h e a p p ro a c h es ,
’
Y o lk ai Es t s a n s h ear th a p p roa c h es ,
’
In ol d ag e w al k ing th e b e a u t i ful t rail .
For Y o lk ai Est san ,
too be c ame the b ride of a g o d B ut before
, .
s he de p arted fo r t he d ivine lod g e s h e remained fo r some t ime
,
solitary I t was then in the d ays o f her lonelines s that Has
.
, ,
t she y a lt i c ame to her and it was d e c ided th at a new ra c e o f
,
men shou ld be c reated With the assistan c e o f all the g od s a
.
man wa s formed from a white and a woman from a yellow , ,
ear o f maize N ilt shi g ave them the b reath o f life ; the R o c k
.
C rystal B oy g ave them m i nd ; the Grasshop p er G i rl g ave them
voi c es Y o lk ai Est san g ave them fi re and m aize and m arried
.
,
the man to Groun d-Heat G i rl an d the woman to M i ra g e Boy ,
and from these two c ou p les is des c ended the fi rst gens o f the
Navaho tribe the Hou se o f the Dark C li ff s so named b e
“
,
c au se the god s who c reated the fi rst p a i r c ame from the c liff
houses .
I II . THE CR EATI ON O F THE SUN “
I n the Navaho Genesis j u st re c ou nted there i s a b ri ef de
, ,
s c ri p tion o f the c reation o f the Sun-Dis k A somewhat d i ff er .
ent and fu ller version re c orded by James Stevenson is a s
, ,
follows
“
The fi rst th ree worlds were neither g ood no r healthfu l .
They moved all the t i me and made the p eop le d izzy U p on .
as c endin g into this world the Navaho fou nd only da rknes s
‘
and they s aid We mu st have,
Two women were su m
m o ne d Ah so nnu t li ( Est san at le hi) and Y o l aik aiaso n ( Y o lk a i
“
Est sa n) and to them the I ndians tol d thei r des i re The .
Navaho had al ready p a rt i ally se p arated li g ht i nto its several
c olors . Next to the floor wa s white ind i c atin g d awn ; u p on
,
the white blu e was s p read fo r morn i n g ; and o n the blue yellow
for sunset ; and next was bla c k re p resentin g night They had 31
.
16 8 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
c ould ha rdly stand a s the heaven s were so c lose to them
, .
They looked u p and saw two rainbows o n e a c ross the other ,
from eas t to west and from north to south The heads and .
’
feet o f t he rainbows almost tou c hed the men s head s The .
men tried to raise the g reat li g ht but ea c h time they failed , .
“
Finally a man and a woman a p p eared when c e they knew
, ,
not The man s name wa s At se at sine [Atse Hastin ] and the
.
’
woman s name was At se at sa n [Atse Est san] They were
’
.
a sked Ho w c a n this su n be g o t u p ! They re p lied We
,
‘ ’
,
‘
know ; we hea rd the p eo p le down here tryin g to raise i t and ,
’ ’
th i s i s why we c ame Sunbeams ex c l aimed the man I have
.
, ,
‘
the su nbeams ; I h ave a c rystal from whi c h I c a n li g ht the su n
beams and I have the rainbow ; with these three I c a n raise the
,
’ ‘ ’
su n . The p eop le s a i d Go ahea d an d raise it When he had
,
.
elevated the su n a short distan c e it t i p p ed a little and bu rned
ve g etation and s c orc hed the p eo p le for i t wa s still t o o nea r ,
.
Then the p eop le said to At se at sine and At se at san R aise the ,
‘
’
su n hi g her and they c ontinued to elevate it and yet i t c o n
, ,
t inu e d t o bu rn everythin g They were then c alled to l i ft i t
.
h i g her still but after a c ertai n he i g ht was rea c hed the i r p ower
,
failed ; it wou ld g o no farther .
“
The c ou p le then made fou r p oles two o f tu rquo i se and two ,
o f white-shell beads and ea c h wa s u t u nder the s u n and with
, p ,
these p oles the twelve men at ea c h o f the c ardinal p oints raised
i t They c ould no t g e t it hi g h enou g h to p revent the p eop le
.
‘
and g ras s from bu rnin g The p eop le then said L et u s stret c h
.
,
’
the world ; so the twelve men at ea c h p oint ex p anded the
world The su n c ontinued to r i se as the world ex p anded and
62
.
,
beg an to shine with les s heat but when it rea c hed the meridia n
,
the heat be c ame great and the p eo p le suffered mu c h They .
c rawled everywhere to find shade Then the voi c e o f D ark .
nes s went fou r times a round the world tellin g the men at the
‘
c ard inal
p oints to g o o n ex p andin g the world I want al l .
’ ‘
this trouble sto p p ed s aid Darkness ; the p eop le are su fferin g
,
’
a nd all is bu rnin g ; yo u mu st c ontinu e stret c hing A nd the .
M O U N TA I N A ND D E S E RT 1 69
men blew an d stret c hed and after a time they saw the s u n
,
rise beautifu lly an d when the su n again rea c hed the meridi an
,
it wa s only trop i c al I t was then j u st ri g ht and a s far a s the
.
,
eye c ou ld rea c h the earth was en c ir c led first w i th the white
d awn o f d ay then with the blu e o f early mornin g and all
, ,
thin g s were p erfe c t A nd Ah so nnu t li c ommanded the twelve
.
men to g o to the east south west an d north to hold u p the
, , , ,
heavens [Y iy an it sinn i the holders u p o f the heavens] whi c h
, ,
”
o ffi c e they a re su p p osed to p erform to this d ay .
IV . NA VA H O R ITUAL M YTH S 5
The myth o f the c reation o f the su n j u st quoted g i ves a , ,
vivid p i c t u re o f a p rimitive ritu al with its relian c e u p on mi
,
meti c ma g i c and the p ower o f su gg estion ; the ma g i c de p i c ted
i s that o f the g ods but all N avaho c eremonials and indee d
, ,
I ndian ritu al s g enerally are re g arded as derived from the
,
g reat p owers . T h e u su al fo rm o f transmiss ion is through some
ro het o r seer who h as visited the abodes o f the p owers and
p p ,
there has been p erm i tted to ob serve the rites by means o f
whi c h the d ivine ones attain the i r end s O n retu rnin g to his .
“ ”
p peo le
,
the ro
p p het b r i n g s the c eremony ( o r d an c e as su c h ,
rites are frequently c alled although d an c in g is c ommonly a
,
minor featu re ) to his p eop le where it i s tran smitted from g e n
,
c ration to g eneration o f p riests o r sh amans I t is interestin g t o
.
note that amon g the Navaho it is u su ally the you n g er b rother
o f the p ro p het not the p ro p het h i mself who c ondu c ts the rite
, , ,
when on c e it is learned ; an d it i s their c u stom to c hoose
44
you n g er b rothers to be edu c ated as s hamans ( thou g h the elder
b rothers are not deterred from su c h a c areer if they so c hoose ) ,
the Navaho reason bein g that the you n g er b rother is li kely t o
be the more intell i g ent .
I ndian rites may be b roadly d iv i ded i nto three c las ses : ( I )
rites p e rta i n i n g to the life-history o f the individu al bi rth ,
p ubes c en c,
e death ; and to so c ia l life c lan and fraternit y
—
1 70 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
ri t es rites fo r t he makin g o f wa r and the c ementin g o f p ea c e ;
,
( )
2 ri t es c onne c t ed w ith t he elements and seasons maize fe s ,
t iv a ls rain d an c es the ma g i c fru c t ifi c at io n o f field s and the
, ,
ma g i c invo c ation o f g ame ; and ( 3) mysteries o r medi c ine rites ,
desi g ned to brin g heal t h both p hysi c al and S p iritu al and t o
, ,
ensu re life and p ros p erity to ind ividu al and tribe a thera ,
p eu t i e whi c h re c o g nizes that all men a re at all times ailin g and
in need o f some form of d ivine aid The variou s elements o f .
t he d i ff erent ty p es interla c e but in g eneral those o f the first
, ,
C las s fall in t o a b iog ra p hi c al o r a n histori c al series th o se o f ,
the se c ond c las s tend to as sume a ferial c hara c ter and those ,
o f the third c las s de p end u p on the c han c e o f ne c es sity or o f
desire fo r t heir p erforman c e u p on the fulfilment o f a v o w ,
the need o f t he si c k for c u re o r the like,
.
Navaho c eremonials a re mainly o f t he l atter kind and are i n
s harp c ontrast to the c alendri c rites o f thei r Pueblo nei g hbou rs .
They are medi c ine c eremonies u nder t aken in the interest of
,
the si c k who ind ividu ally defray t he ex p enses althou g h the
, ,
rite is su p p osed to benefit the whole tribe ; a nd they are p e r
formed at no stated times but only in res p onse t o need There
,
.
is however some restri c tion : the Ni g h t Ch ant the most p o p u
, , ,
l ar o f all Navaho c eremonies may be he ld only in the winter
, ,
when the snakes are h ibernatin g p erha
—
p s be c au se serp ents
a re re g arded as u nderworld p owers and related to the m a le fi
-
,
c ent dei t ies of the re g ion o f the dead ; a S imila r motive p ro
du c es a reverse eff e c t o n the Great Pl ain s where the H ako ,
C eremony and the Sun -Dan c e are observed only when the
world is g reen and l ife is stirrin g 39
.
Th e Ni g h t C han t li ke some other Navaho c eremonies ha s
, ,
a nine-d ay p eriod O n the first d ay holy arti c les and the s a c red
.
lod g e are p re p ared ; o n t he se c ond the swea t hou se and the
,
-
fi rs t sand -p aintin g a re made and the son g o f the a p p roa c h of
,
the g od s i s su n g : p rayers and a se c ond sweat-hou se are featu res
o f the t hird day while the fou rth is devo t ed to
, p re p arations
for the vi g il whi c h o c c u p ies t he fou rth ni g ht at whi c h the ,
P L A T E XX I I I
Na v aho d ry o r s and p a i nti ng c o nn e c te d w ith t h e
-
N ight C ha nt c e re mo ny T he e nc irc li ng fi g u re is t he
.
Ra i n bo w g odd ess . T he s wa sti ka li k e c e ntra l fi g u re
-
re p re s e nts t he wh irli ng l og s w ith Y e i rid i ng u p o n
th e m ( see p . A t t he Ea st is Hast s heya lt i
wh i t e ; at t he W e st H b l a ck R a i
( ) ,
ast s he ho an
g ( .
) n
s p irits w ith c l oud -s a c k s an d ba s k et s are No rth an d
, ,
South S ymbo ls o f v egetati o n a re b etw een t he a rm s
.
o f t he c ro ss. A ft e r M AM v i Plat e V I
,
.
172 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YTH O LO G Y
W i th t he fa r da r k n e ss m ad e o f th e rai n an d th e m is t on th e en d s of
you r w ing s c om e to us so a ring
, ,
W i th th e z i g za g li g ht n ing w i th th e r a in b ow h ang ing h ig h on th e
,
en d s of yo ur w in g s c om e to us so a ring ,
.
W i th t he n e a r d a r k n e ss m ad e of t he d ark c lou d o f th e r a in an d th e
m i s t c om e to us
, ,
W i th th e da r k n e ss on th e e a rth co m e to us ,
.
W i th th e se I w i s h t he fo a m fl oa t ing o n th e fl ow ing w a t er over th e
roots of t he g re a t c o m .
I ha ve m a d e yo ur s a c ri fi c e ,
I ha v e p re p a re d a s mo ke fo r y ou ,
My fee t re s to re fo r m e .
My li mb s res to re my b o dy res tore m y m in d res tore m y voi c e re
, , ,
s tore fo r m e .
To day ta k e o u t y our s p e ll fo r m e
, ,
To d ay t a k e away y our s p ell fo r m e
,
.
Away f rom m e y o u h ave ta k e n i t ,
Fa r off f ro m m e i t is ta ken ,
F a r off y o u h ave done i t .
Ha p p il y I re c ove r ,
Ha p p il y I b e co m e co o l ,
My e y es reg a i n th eir p ower my h ea d cools m y li m b s reg a in th eir
, ,
s t re ng th I h e a r a g ain
,
.
Ha p p il y for m e th e s p e ll is ta k en o ff ,
Ha p p il y I w a lk ; i m p ervi o us t o p a in I wa lk ; li g ht W i th in I w alk ; , ,
j o yo us I wa l k
,
.
Ab un da n t d a rk c lou d s I d e sire ,
An ab u n d a n c e o f veg e tat i o n I d esire ,
An ab u n d a n c e o f p o ll e n ab un da n t d ew I d esire
, ,
.
H a p p il y m ay fa ir wh i t e corn to th e en d s of th e e a r th com e w i th you
, , ,
Hap p il y m ay fa ir y ello w c orn fa ir b lue c o rn fa ir c orn o f all k in d s , , ,
p l a n t s of a ll k in d s g oo d s of a ll k in d s j e w els of a ll kin d s to th e
, , ,
e n d s of th e e a r th c o m e w i th y ou ,
.
W i th th e s e b e fore y ou h a p p il y m ay th e y c om e w i th you
, ,
W i th th ese b e h in d b e low ab ov e arou n d you h a p p il y m ay th ey com e
, , , ,
w i th y ou ,
Th us y ou a c c om p l is h your t asks .
H a p p il y th e ol d m e n w ill re g a r d yo u ,
Ha p p il y th e o l d wo m e n w ill r eg ar d y o u ,
Th e you ng m e n a n d th e y o u n g wo m e n w ill reg ar d you ,
Th e c h il d r e n w ill reg a r d y ou ,
The c h i e f s w ill reg ar d y ou ,
H a p p il y a s th e y s c att e r in d i ff eren t d ire c t ions th ey w ill reg ar d y ou
, , ,
Ha p p il y a s th ey ap p ro a c h th e ir h o m es th e y w ill reg ar d y ou
, ,
.
M O U N TA I N AN D D E S E RT 1 73
May th eir roa d s h o m e b e on th e t rail of p ea c e ,
Ha p p il y m ay th e y all re t urn .
In b eau ty I w al k ,
W i th b eau ty b e fo re m e I w alk
, ,
W i th b e a u ty b e h in d m e I wa lk
, ,
W i th b e a u ty ab ove a n d a b ou t m e I w alk , .
I t is fi ni sh e d in b e a u ty
,
I t is fi nis h e d in b e a u ty
.
The Ts e g ihi of the first verse f
this im p ress i ve p rayer i s
o
o n e of the s a c red p la c es wi t h whi c h the Navaho c ou ntry
abound s The myths whi c h ex p lain most o f t hei r rites fre
.
quently re c ou nt t he visits o f p ro p hets t o su c h p la c es and it ,
was from su c h a t ri p th at the Ni g ht C hant w as b rou g ht b a c k :
a hunter fou nd h is a rm p a ralysed when he a t tem p ted to d raw
t he bow u p on fou r mou ntain shee p ; after the fou r t h endeavou r
t h e S hee p a p p eared t o him in thei r true form a s Y ei and c o n , ,
du c ted him to their ro c ky abode where he wa s tau g ht the ,
mystery and sent home to his p eo p le This s ame man be c ame .
a g reat p ro p het : he made a stran g e voya g e in a hollow lo g ,
with windows o f c rystal g u ided by the g od s ; fi nally at a
, ,
p la c e s a c red to the N avaho a whi rlin g la ke with no outlet an d
,
“ ”
no bottom he beheld the whirlin g log s
,
a c ros s u p on
whi c h ro d e ei g ht Y ei two o n ea c h a rm ; an d by these he was
,
instru cted in a mystery o f healin g in whi c h maize and rain and
,
l ife-g ivin g ma g i c p lay the c hief r 6les There a re other myth s .
rep resentin g S imila r j ou rneys i n g o d—steered log s from whi c h ,
the hero retu rns with a ma g i c g ift : o n o n e su c h tri p the p rop het ,
“
i s s aid to h ave g one as fa r a s the sea the waters t hat had a
”
s hore o n o ne side only an d there to have learned the art
o f mixin g c olou rs and the u se o f maize a food till then u nknown ,
to the Navaho .
Up on another myth is b ased the c eremony o f the Mountain
C hant L i ke the Ni g ht C hant this rite is c hara c terized by a
.
,
no c tu rnal masqu e o f the g ods de p i c tin g the mythi c a dv e n
,
tu re and in it the hero as c end s to the world above the s k y
, ,
where the p eop le were Ea g les Here with the a id o f S p ider
.
,
1 74 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
Woman s ma g i c he defeated the B umble-B ees and Tu mble
’
,
’
Weeds who were the Ea g les foemen and in retu rn was g iven ,
the sa c red rite He however u sed h is p owers to tri c k the
.
, ,
Pueblo p eo p le into su rrenderin g the i r wealth to h im ; and in a
g rea t shell whi c h he obtained from them he was lifted by
rop es o f li g h t nin g u p into the heavens su rrounded by his ,
treasu re 56
Th e story re c all s s imila r as c ents in the leg end s o f
.
northern I nd ians .
O f all the ritu al myth s o f the N avaho the most p athe ti c i s
“
the story o f the Stri c ken Twins They were c hild ren of a .
m o rt al g irl by a g o d ; and in c hild hood o ne was b linded the ,
other I amed D riven forth by relatives t o o p oor to kee p them
.
,
they wandered from o n e abode of the g od s to another in s ear c h
o f a c u re the blind boy c a rryin g the lame
,
A t ea c h sa c red p la c e .
the Y ei demanded the fee o f j ewel s wh i c h was the p ri c e o f
c u re and when they fou nd that the c hild ren h ad nothin g sent
,
them o n with rid i c u le Their father Hast she y alt i se c retly
.
, ,
p la c ed food for them fo r he wished to kee p his,p aternity c o n
c e a le d and finally g ave them a c u p c ontainin g a never-failin g
,
su p p ly o f m e al A fter twi c e makin g the rou nd s o f the s a c red
fi2
’
p la c es rej e c ted at all the c h ild ren s p aternity wa s dis c overed
, , ,
and the g od s takin g them to the sweat-hou se u ndertook to
, ,
heal them warn in g them th at they mu st not s p ea k while there ;
,
but when the blind o ne be c ame faintly c ons c iou s o f li g ht i n ,
“
j oy h e c r i ed O h you n g er b rother I
, ,
and when the ,
l ame o ne felt retu rnin g stren g th he ex c laimed O h e ld e r, , , ,
”
b rother I move my limb s !
,
A nd the ma g i c o f the g od s was
u ndone A g ain b lind and halt they were sent forth to se c u re
.
,
the fee by whi c h alone they c ou ld ho p e fo r healin g The g od s .
aided them with ma g i c and they tri c ked the wealthy Pueblo ,
dwellers into g ivin g them the needed treasu re Provided with .
this they retu rned on c e more to the abode o f the Yei and
, ,
’
i n an el aborate c eremony a nine d ays rite they were at
las t made p erfe c t The r i tu al they took ba c k to their p eo p l e
.
,
after whi c h they retu rned to the g ods o ne to be c ome a rain ,
176 NO RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
Sim i lar in g rade is the mytholog y o f the other two w i de
s p read sto c ks o f the South-West the Piman and Y uman
, ,
o u y the territories to the west and south -west o f the
w ho c c p
Navaho c ou n t ry far into Mexi c o an d L ower C alifornia and
, ,
who form i n all p rob ability the tru e auto c hthones o f the
, ,
a rid reg ion I n material c u ltu re these p eo p les are p erha p s
.
su p erior to the Ap a c he thei r hereditary fo e for they a re su c
, ,
c e s sfu l a g ri c ultu rists o n the s c ale whi c h thei r l and s p ermit ;
yet they are i n no sense the equ als o f the Navaho Their .
m yt holog y and reli g ion have been S li g htly re p orted but enou g h ,
is known to make c lear the g eneral rel ation s o f their ideas .
A mon g tribes of the Pim an sto c k Su n Moon and Mornin g , ,
Star a re the g reat deities g overnin g the world while E arth ,
Do ctor and Elder B rother a re the im p ortant heroes o f de m iu r
g ic myth 13
. T h e Moon is the wife o f Father Sun the p ai r bein,g
identified by some o f the half-C hristianized Mexi c an p eo p les
with the V i rg in and the C hristi an God C oyote is the so n o f .
Sun and Moon a c c ordin g to the P i ma and all the tribes o f ,
this s t o c k have their fu ll quota o f tales o f C oyote and his
kind red The D evil is a mi g hty p ower in the eyes o f the
.
Ta rahuma re a Mexi c an tribe of Piman sto c k and no mean
, ,
“
anta g onist for Tata Dios ( Father whom he S lays
twi c e before he is fin ally c ast down D eath it may be noted
.
, ,
i s no annihilation in Piman V iew for as o n e shaman remarked
, , ,
“
the dead a re very mu c h alive I t is amon g the C ora of Mex
.
ico that C hu lav e t e the Mornin g Sta r
, ,
14
is most im p ortant
, ,
t hou g h the other tribes re c og nize him (o r her for with the ,
”
Pima V isible Star is a g irl ) Star-myths a re fou nd in va riou s
.
tri be s an interestin g in stan c e bein g the leg end whi c h o cc u rs
, ,
in analog ou s forms in Ta rahu mare and Tep ehu ane lore o f ,
the women who c ommit the S in o f c annibalism and flee from
their hu sb and s i nto the heavens : there they are transformed
’
i n t o sta rs the Pleiades or O rion s B el t while the hu sb and who
, ,
has vainly p u rsu ed them is c han g ed into a c oyote The u se o f .
the c ross a p p arently a n an c ient and indi g enou s symbol o f
61
,
M OUN TA I N AN D D E S E RT 1 77
the Su n Father an d the c u lt o f the p eyote ( a s p e c ies o f p l ant
, ,
es p e c ially the c a c tu s Lop hop ho r a Willia m s ii u sed to exal t and ,
intensify the ima g in ative fa c u lties ) are featu res o f t he ritu al
o f tribes of this sto c k ; the p eyo t e deified a s H iku li the fou r
, ,
fa c ed g o d who sees a ll thin g s bein g one of the im p ortant deities
,
o f the p a g an Tarahu ma re .
Piman c osmog ony c ontains the ty p i c ally south-western
15
a s c ent of the F irst Peo p le from the U nderworld and the u ni
vers al story o f the delu g e but t he form and embellishment o f
,
these in c idents a re ori g inal AS told by a sh aman o f the Pim a
.
“
tribe : I n the be g innin g there was nothin g where now a re
ea rt h s u n moon stars and all th at we see A g es lon g the
, , , ,
.
d a rknes s was g at h erin g u n t il it formed a g reat mass in whi c h
,
d evelo p ed the s p i rit o f E a r t h Do c tor who like the flu ff y wis p
, ,
o f c o tt on that floa t s u p on the wind d rifted to an d fro without
,
s u p p ort o r p l a c e t o fix himself C ons c iou s Of h is p ower h e
.
,
d etermined to try to bu ild an abidin g p la c e s o he took from ,
h is b reast a li tt le du st an d fl attened it into a c a ke Then he .
‘ ’
thou g ht within himself C ome fo rth some kin d o f p l ant
, , ,
”
a n d there a p p eared the c reosote bu sh Th ree times the ea rth
.
d is k u p set but the fou r t h time it remained where he h ad re
,
“
p la c ed .it When the fl at du st c ake wa s still he dan c ed u on
p
i t s i n g in g
Ea r th Ma g i c ian s ha p es th is worl d
‘
.
B e h ol d what h e c a n do !
Ro u n d a n d s m oo th h e mo l d s i t .
B e h ol d wh a t h e c an do !
‘
Ea r th Ma g i c ian m a kes th e m oun t ains .
Hee d what h e h a s to s ay !
He i t is that m a k es th e m esas .
He e d what h e h as to say !
Ea r th Ma g i c i a n s h a p es th is worl d ;
‘
Ear th Ma g i c i a n m a k es i t s m oun ta ins ;
Ma ke s all l a rg e r, l a rg er, l a rg er .
In to th e e a rth t he m a g i c i a n g lan ces ;
In to i t s m o un t ains h e m ay
178 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
A s su redly this i s an ex t raordinary g enesis with its co n ,
c e p t io n o f a p rimeval voi d and fl at c reation t o c ome fro m ,
the un t au g ht natives and it is p os sible th at m iss ion tea c hin g s
,
may have influen c ed its form thou g h the m atter see ms t o
,
be abori g inal The story g oes o n with the c reation of insec t s ;
.
th en o f a s k y-dome whi c h the E a rth Do c tor c ommanded S p ide r
t o se w to the earth a rou nd the ed g es ; then o f su n moon an d , ,
stars the two fi rst from blo c ks o f ic e flu n g i nto the heavens
, ,
I h ave m a d e th e su n !
I h ave m ad e th e su n !
Hurlin g i t h i g h
In th e fo ur d irec t ions . .
To th e eas t I th re w i t
”
To run i t s a p p o in te d c ourse ,
the stars from water whi c h he s p rayed from his mouth Next .
E arth Do c t or c reated livin g bein g s but they develo p ed c anni
,
“
b a lism and he destroyed t hem Then he s aid : . I shal l u nit e
ear t h and s k y ; the earth shall be a s a female and the s ky as a
male and from thei r u nion sh all be born o ne who s hal l be a
,
hel p er to me 34
L et the su n be j oined wi t h the moon also even
.
,
a s man i s wedded to woman and their o ffs p rin g shall be a
,
” 13
hel p er to me E a rth g ave b irth to Elder B rother who i n
.
,
true O lym p ian s t yle l ater be c ame more p owe rfu l than his
c reator ; and C o yote w a s born from the Moon Elder B rother .
c reated a handsome youth w ho sedu c ed the d au g hter o f South
Do c t or and the u n res t rainable tears o f the c hild o f this u nion
,
th reatened to destroy all life in a mi g hty fl o o d Elder B rother
49
.
,
however es c a p ed by en c losin g himself in a p o t whi c h rolled
,
about beneath the waters ; C oyote m ade a raft of a lo g ; while
Ea rth Do c tor led some o f the p eop le throu g h a hole whi c h h e
m ade to the other sid e o f the earth-dis k After the flood Elder .
B rother was the first o f the g od s to a p p ear and he t herefore ,
be c ame the ruler He sent hi s subord inates in sear c h o f earth s
.
’
navel and when the c entral mountain had been d i s c overed
, ,
they set about rep eo p lin g the world .
P L A T E XX I V
A p ac h e m ed i c i n e-s h irt pa i nted w ith fi g u re s o f
,
g od s
,
c e nti p ed e s, c l o ud s
,
l i g ht
,
ni n
g t h e su n
,
e tc
.
A ft e r 9 d R B E Pl ate VI
, .
18 0 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YTH O LO G Y
the land and c reated it s inhabitants
,
thou g h the Mohav e —
s ay that the Fi rs t Peo p le were c reated by Mu st am ho who w a s ,
himself the so n o f a se c ond g eneration born o f Ea rth and
Sky ; and the Wala p ai tell how the first man K at hat a k an av e , ,
Tau g h t-b y-Coyote issued with h is friend C oyote from t he
,
Grand C anyon .
The Wala p ai myth g oes o n t o re c ount how K at hat a k an av e
rayed t o Those A bove ( the di s u p er i ) to c reate c om p anion s
p
for him ; how Coyote b roke the s p ell by s p ea kin g before all
men had been c reated and so slu n k away ashamed ; how To ,
c ho p a instru c ted the human ra c e in the a rts and wa s beloved
a c c ordin g ly and how Ho k o m at a o u t o f j ealou sy tau g ht them
,
war and thu s b rou g ht about the d ivis ion o f m an kind The .
H avasu p ai tell also o f the feu d between the b rothers and that ,
Ho k o m at a in his ra g e brou g ht about a delu g e whi c h d estroyed
the world 49
B efore t he waters c ame however To c ho p a sealed
.
, ,
his beloved d aughter P u k e he h in a hollow log from whi c h
, , ,
s he emerg ed when the flood h ad subsided ; s he g ave bi rth
to a boy whose father wa s the sun an d to a g i rl whose fa
, , ,
ther wa s a waterfall ( when c e H avasu p ai women h ave ever
“
been c alled D au g hters o f the and from these t wo
the world was re p eop led I n the Moh ave vers i on Mu st a m ho
.
,
took the p eop le in his a rm s and c arried them u nt i l the waters
abated .
The ori g in o f death i s told by the D ie g u e fi o Tu c h aip ai .
thou g ht to himself I f all my sons do not have enou g h food
,
‘
and d rin k what will be c ome o f them !
, He g ave men the
c hoi c e o f living forever dyin g tem p orarily and final death ;
, ,
but while they were debatin g the question the Fly s aid , ,
“‘
O h yo u men what are yo u tal kin g so mu c h about ! Tel l
, ,
This is the reason why the
’
him yo u want to die forever .
fly rubs his hands tog ether He i s be g g in g forg ivenes s o f the
.
” 16
p eo p le for these word s .
A nother myth whi c h the Y uman tribes S hare with the
,
’
Piman tells o f Coyote s theft o f the heart from a bu rnin g
,
M O U N TA I N A ND D E S E RT 18 1
c orp se A s the D ie g u e fi o tell it it is Tu c haip ai S l a i n throu g h
.
, ,
the malevolen c e o f the Fro g whose body i s p la c ed u p on the
,
p yre ; the Mohave re c ou nt the s ame event o f the remain s o f
Mat y av e la the father o f Mu st am ho who may be a doublet
, ,
o f Tu c h a ip ai o r To c h ip a
,
. When the p yre is ready Coyote i s
,
sent away o n an invented errand for his p resen c e i s fea red ;
,
but seein g the smoke o f the c remat i on he hu rries ba c k in time
,
to sna t c h the hea rt from the bu rnin g body and this he c a r ries
,
” 43
o ff t o the mou ntains . Fo r this reason men hate the C oyo t e .
I t i s tem p tin g to see in thi s myth c omin g to p eo p les whose
,
kind red extend far into Mexi c o some relation to the Nahu a
,
t l a n hu m an sa c rifi c e in w hi c h t he hea rt was torn from the v ic
,
tim s body whi c h wa s not infrequently thereafter bu rned
’
,
29
.
C H A P T E R IX
T H E P U E B LO DW E L L E RS
1 . THE P U E B LO S
NE o f the most interestin g and c u riou s g rou p s o f p eo p le ,
n o t only o f North A meri c a bu t o f the world i s c om p osed
,
o f the Pueblo dwellers o f New Mexi c o and A rizona The .
Pueblo I ndians g e t thei r name ( g iven them by the S p ania rds )
from the fa c t that t hey live i n c om p a c t villa g es o r p ueblos
, ,
o f stone o r adobe hou ses whi c h i n some instan c es rise to a
,
hei g ht o f five s t oreys These villa g es su gg est hu g e co m m u
.
“
n al dwellin g s o r labyrinthine stru c tu res li ke the hou se of
,
”
Minos but in fa c t ea c h family p os sesses its o wn abode the
, ,
form o f bu ild in g bein g p artly an e c onomy o f c onstru c tion ,
but mainly for ready defen c e ; for the p ueblos a re islets o f
sedenta ry c ultu re i n the midst o f what w a s lon g a se a o f
marau din g s ava g e ry For this s ame p rote c tive reason s ites
.
were c hosen o n t he lev e l t o m o f the mes as o r v i lla g es were
,
“
built in c liff walls hollowed o u t and w alle d in ( the c li ff
“
,
”
dwe llin g s of the dese rt re g ion h ave been i dentified a s former
,
,
and p robably the ea rliest seats o f Pueblo c u ltu re ) ; but u nder
,
the influen c e o f thei r modern freedom from atta c k m any of
the villages are g radu ally disa g g re g atin g into lo c al houses .
A n c iently the Pueblo territory extended from c entral C olora do
and U tah far south into Mexi c o ; now about three hu nd red
miles se p ara t e Taos in t he east from O raibi in the west while ,
the no rth and sou th distan c e from Taos to A c oma i s half o f
, ,
this Within the modern area the p ueblos 1211 i n
. to two m a i n
g rou p s : those o f northern and c entral New Mexi c o c lu stered ,
alon g the R io Grande and those o f the Moqu i o r Ho p i reserva
,
184 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M Y TH O LO G Y
o f a g rou p o f c lans ori g inally exo g amou s and frequently
, ,
thou g h no t invariably with m atrilinea r des c ent There is no
,
.
inferiority o f t he women to the men thou g h there is a d ivi ,
sion Of p rivileg e : the family home i s the p ro p erty o f the wife ,
bu t in ea c h p ueblo there is a ty p e o f bu ildin g v a ry in
g i n — '
number from o ne in t he smaller to a dozen o r more i n the
, ,
“ ”
l arg er villages c alled the
—
kiva whi c h is c ha ra c teristi c ally
,
the men s hou se The kiva i s p a rtly tem p le p a rtly c lub
’
.
,
hou se o r lou n g in g room ; the more p rimitive ty p e i s c i r c u la r ,
the l ater re c tan g u lar like the hou ses ; sometimes it i s sub
,
terranean I n the kiva men g ather fo r work o r amu sement
.
,
and in the kiva o c c u r the se c ret rites o f the va riou s fraternities
and p riesthoods Women are ra rely admitted ex c ep t in those
.
,
p ueblos where they have a kiva o f thei r o wn o r rites demand
,
ing o ne I t is re g arded as p robable tha t the kiva is t he o rig in al
.
” ’
nu c leu s o f the p ueblo the p rimitive men s hou se c o n
—
,
ve rted into a tem p le a rou nd whi c h fi rst g rew the fo r t ified
,
refu g e and l ater the set t led and p e rm anent t own
,
.
Where the p a g an reli g ion o f the Pueblo dwellers p ers ists
and in mat t ers o f belief they have shown themselves to be
amon g the most c onse rvative of I ndi ans thei r elaborate an d
s p e c ta c u lar rites are i n c harg e o f fraternities o r p ri esthood s ,
ea c h with its o wn c u lt p ra c ti c es and its p ro pe r fi tes in the
c alenda r These festival s are devoted to the th ree g reat O b
.
j e ct s o f se c u rin g rain and hen c e abu nd ant c ro p s healin g the
, ,
si c k and obtainin g su cc es s in war Pra c ti c ally all Pueblo men
,
.
a re initiates into o n e o r more fraternities to some o f whi c h ,
women a re o c c asionally a dmitted I n c e rtain p ueblos a s the
.
,
Ho p i the fraternities a p p ea r t o have ori g inated from the wa r
,
rior and medi c ine so c ieties o f the variou s C lans su c h so c ie ,
t ies bein g fou nd in almost every I ndian tribe ; i n others c lan ,
ori g in c annot be tra c ed if it ever existed admis sion bein g ,
g ained either by the exhibition o f p rowess ( as formerly in the
warrior so c ieties ) by the fa c t o f be i ng healed by the rites o f t he
,
fraternity , o r by some su c h p ortent as that to whi c h is as c ribed
THE P UE B LO DWE LLE R S 185
the Zu il i Stru c k-by-L i g htnin g fratern i ty wh i c h was fou nded ,
by a number of I ndian s in c lu din g bes ides Zu fi i men o ne
, , ,
Navaho and a woman who were severely sho c ked by a thu n
,
d e rb o lt .
32
I n many o f the fraternities there a re orders o r ste p s
o f rank ,
and t he head men o r p riests o f the so c ie t ies hold a
p ower over t he p u eblo whi c h sometimes amou nts a s at Zu il i , ,
to theo c rati c ru le I n s p ite of d i fferen c es o f lan g u a g e and o ri
.
in t he eneral resemblan c es o f the Pueblos to o n e another
g , g ,
in the m a tt er of ritu al and myth a s in outward c u ltu re i s ,
su c h as t o make o f them an es senti al g rou p A t least this i s .
i ndi c a t ed from the resu lts whi c h h ave been re c orded for Sia ,
Zu fi i and t he Ho p i towns
,
o f Keres an Zu fi ia n and S hosho , ,
nean sto c k res p e c tively whi c h are the only g rou p s as yet
—
deep ly stu died .
II . P U E B LO CO S M O L O GY 11
The symbol ism o f the World-Qu a rters o f the A bove and , ,
o f the Below is nowhere more elaborately develo p ed amon
g
A meri c an I ndian s than w i th the Pueblos A n alo g ies a re d rawn
31
.
not merely with the c olou rs w i th p lants and animals and
, ,
with c u lt obj e c ts and reli g iou s i dea s but with hu man so c iety
,
i n al l t he ramifi c ations o f its org anization m akin g o f mankin d ,
n o t only the theatri c c entre o f the c osmos but a k i n d of elab ,
o ra t e ima g e of its form .
Ac c ordin g to thei r Genesis the an c estors o f the Pueblo
,
dwellers issued from the fou rfold U nde rworld throu g h a S i
a u whi c h some re g a rd as a lake and t hen c e j ou rneyed in
p p , ,
’
sea r c h o f the Middle Pla c e o f the Worl d E arth s n avel whi c h , ,
the va riou s tri be s lo c ate di ff erently ; in Zu il i for exam p le it i s , ,
i n the t own itself The world i s oriented from this p oint an d
.
“ ”
the su n d ae —
east is the before as in the an c ient lore o f
,
the O ld World the fou r c a rd inals t he z e ni t h and the nadi r
, ,
definin g the c osmi c frame o f all thin g s I t m ay be o f interest .
to note that if these p oints be re g arded as eve ryw here equ i
d istant from the c entre and that if they then be c i r c ums c r i bed
,
1 86 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
by c i rc les in every p lane abou t t he c entre the resu ltin g fi g u re ,
will be a s p here ; and i t i s not im p rob able that from su c h a
ro c edu re a rose the fi rs t c on c e p t ion o f the s p heri c al form o f
p
the u niverse ; t he swastika and the swastika ins c ribed in a
C ir c le a re c osmi c symbols in the South -West a s in m any other
p a rts o f the world and
,
while no I nd ians had a t tained to the
c on c e p t o f a world -s p here the Pu eblos at least were u p on
,
t he very threshold o f the idea 66
Ea c h o f the six reg ions
. the
Qu arters the Above and the B elow
, , p ossesses i t s symboli c
c olou r : in the Zu fi i an d Ho p i systems the white o f dawn i s
,
the c olou r o f the E ast ; the b lue o f the d aylit s ky is the tint
o f the West ,
toward whi c h the su n takes his d aily j ou rney ;
red the symbol o f fire and heat is the hu e o f the South ; and
, ,
yellow for su nrise and su nset p erha p s for the au rora a s we ll
, , ,
is the Northern c olou r ; all c olou rs typ ify the Zenith ; bl a c k
i s the symbol o f the N adir A s the c olou rs so the elemen t s are
.
,
related to the Qu arters : to the North belon g s the ai r element ,
o f wind and b reath for from it c ome the stron g winter wind s ;
,
the West is c hara c terized by water fo r i n the Pu eb lo land rain s
,
swee p in fro mt he Pa c ifi c ; fi re is o f the South ; while the ea rth
and the seeds o f life whi c h fru c tify the earth a re o f the E ast .
I n thei r ritu al s the Zu il i add res s the p oints in this order
p rayer i s m ade first to the Middle Pl a c e then to the North ,
wi t h whom is the b reath whi c h is the p r i me es sential o f l ife ,
to the West whose ra i n-laden c lou d s fi rst b reak the hold o f
winter to the South the East the Zenith the N adi r wh i c h
, , , ,
hold s in i ts bosom the c averns o f the dead and on c e a g ain ,
the Middle Pla c e The tribal c l an s a re g rou p ed and org an
.
iz e d with res p e c t to these s ame p oints while human a c tivities, ,
as rep resented by the fraternities h avin g them symboli c ally in
c ha rg e are s im ila rly oriented
,
war is o f t he North p ea c e and ,
the c hase o f the West hu sb and ry o f the South rite and med i
, ,
c ine o f the E ast ; t o the Zenith belon
g the life p reservers an d
-
,
to the Nad ir the life-g enerators fo r not only do the dead de
,
p art thither to b e born a g a in but i t is from B elow that the
,
18 8 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H OLO G Y
” Su n and Moon a re m as ked by shield s as they trav
y a l at o p a .
erse t he s kies but little by lit t le Awo n awilo n a d raws aside
, , ,
’
the veil from Moon Mo t her s shield and as g radu ally re p la c es
’
i t t hu s ima g in g the c ou rse o f m an s life from i nfan c y t o t he
,
fulness of m atu ri t y and then c e to the de c line o f ag e These .
,
wi t h t he me t eo rolog i c al bein g s the c lou d -mas ked rain-b rin g
,
The di i nfer i Those
“ ” “
ers a re t he di s up er i Those Above
, ,
.
,
”
Below dwellers in the bosom o f Mo t her E ar t h in c lude the
, ,
twin God s o f War who in t he years o f the beg innin g s de
59
,
l ivered man kind from the monsters ; the C orn Father and C orn
’
Mother the latter bein g E a rth o r Ear t h s D au g hters ; and the
,
35
“ ” “ ”
m inera l Men and Women re p resentin g S alt R ed She ll , ,
W hi t e S hell and Tu rquoise ; a s well a s t he animal-g od s or
,
27
,
A n c ients whi c h a re the interm ediaries be t ween men and the
,
hi g her g ods and whi c h also ac t as the tutelaries o r p atrons
,
“
o f t he several fraternities A nother deity asso c iated with
.
,
both the subterranean and t he c eles t ial p owers is the Plumed ,
Serp en t c alled K o lo o wisi by the Zu fi i P alu lu k o fi by th e
, ,
HO p i 50
. This g o d is c onne c ted both with t he li g htnin g and with
fert ility : a movin g serp ent is a natu ral symbol fo r t he zi g za g
fl ash o f li g h t nin g and it is p rob ably this analo g y whi c h has
,
iven rise in the Sou t h -West to the my t h o f sky-travellin
g g
s nakes ; o n the other h and li g htnin g is as so c iated with rain
,
fall and rain a c c ord in g to the South -Western V iew is c arried
, , ,
aloft from the sub t erranean reservoi rs o f wa t er ; the connexion
o f rain with fe r tility is obviou s ; in the Zu fi i initiation o f boys
i nto the K o t ik ili (o f whi c h all who m ay enter t he Dan c e-Hou se
o f the Gods after death mu st be members ) K o lo o wisi i s re p re
, , ,
sented by a l arg e ima g e from whose mouth water and maize
i ssu e and in the hi g hly d ramati c Pa lu lu k o ii t i o f the Ho p i
,
I ndians t here a re several a c ts whi c h seem to re p resent th e
fru ct ifi c at io n o f the m aize by t he Plumed Snake Possibly .
this deity i s o f Mexi c an ori g in for fa r t o the south amon g , ,
the Mayan and N ahu atlan p eo p les the Plu med Serp ent is a ,
p otent divini t y .
P LA T E XXV
Z ufi i ma s k s fo r c e re mo n i a l da n c e s Upp e r ma s k
.
o f a W a rri o r G od ; l ow e r ma s k o f t he Ra i n Pri e st
,
o f th e No rth . A ft e r 23 zi R B E Pl at e s X VI LIV
, ,
See Note 6 5 ( p p 30 9 . a n d c om a re F ro nt is i e c e
p p
a nd Pl at e s III IV ,
V I I XXXI
, ,
.
THE P UE B LO DWE LLE R S
“
1 89
Th e se c ond g reat g rou p hi g her p owers is c om p osed o f the
o f
an c es t ra l and totemi c Ka t c inas whi c h p lay an im p or t ant p art
65 “ ”
in the Pueblo s c heme o f thin g s While the term Kat c ina
.
,
“
s ays F e w k e s w as ori g in ally limited to the s p irits o r p ersoni
, ,
fi e d med i c ine p ower o f an c ien t s p e rso n ifi c at io n s O f a s imil a r
, ,
p ower in o t her obj e c ts have li kewise c ome to be c alled Kat c inas .
Thu s the ma g i c p ower o r med i c ine O f the su n may be c alled
Ka t c ina o r that o f the earth may be known by the same
,
e n e ra l name this u se o f the term bein
g , g c ommon amon g the
Ho p is The term may also be a p p lied to p ersonations o f t hese
.
S p irits o r ma g i c p o t en c ies by men o r thei r re p resen t a t ion b y
”
p i c t u res o r g raven O bj e c ts o r by other means
,
T h e nu mber .
o f Ka t c inas is very g rea t for every c lan h as its o w n not t o be
, ,
ersona t ed by members o f any other c lan ; while o t hers a re
p
i n t rodu c ed by bein g ado p ted a s a resu lt o f ini t i ation into t he
ri t es o f nei g hbou rin g p u eblos I n g eneral the Ka t c ina s a re
.
,
a nthro p omor p hi c . I n ri t u al and in p i c tu re they a p p ea r a s
mas ked and to their re p resenta t ion is du e the lon g series o f
,
m asqu es whi c h c hara c terize Pueblo c eremonial life .
The mas k i s c ertainly more than a symboli c dis g u ise Th e .
mythology o f the South-West des p ite the exten sive a p p ear,
an c e o f animal—p owers and the u se o f anim al fetishes is p re ,
d ominantly anth ro p omorp hi c in c ast : the Su n and the Moon
a re m anli ke bein g s hidden by s hield s ; c lou d s a re shield s o r
,
s c reens c on c ealin g the manli ke R ain -B rin g ers The Ho p i p la c e .
c otton m as ks u p on the fa c es o f thei r dead and the Zu fi i ,
bl a c ken the c ou ntenan c es o f thei r de c eased C hieftains No w .
the dead de p a rt to the U nderworld ( thou g h the Zu fi i b e
1°
l ieve that members o f the warrior so c iety the Bow Priesthood , ,
a s c end to the S ky then c e to shoot thei r li g h t nin g shafts while
, ,
the R ain-makers roll their thunderou s g amin g there
to be c ome themselves rain-brin g ers o r at least more p oten t ,
“
i nter c es sors fo r rain than a re their mor t al b rethren The .
” “
e a rth ,
Mrs Stevenson writes
. is watered by the de c eased
,
Zu ii i o f both sexes who are c ontrolled an d d i re c ted by
, ,
19 0 N O RT H AM E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
a c ou n c il com p osed o f an c estral g ods These sh adow p eop le .
c olle c t water in vases and g ou rd j u g s from t h e six g reat waters
o f t h e world and p ass to and fro over the middle p lane
, ,
ro t e c ted from t h e view of the eo le below by lou d
p p p c
m asks . These s ix g reat waters a re the waters o f the s ix
s p rin g s in the hearts o f the six mou ntains o f t he c osmi c
oin t s T h e Uw a n n a m i a s the Zu il i name these shado w y
p .
,
rain-makers are c arried by the va p ou r whi c h a ri ses from
,
these s p rings ea c h Uwa nn am i holdin g fas t a bu n c h o f b reath
,
lumes to fa ilitate a s ension C loud s o f d i ff erent fo rm s
60
c c
p .
h ave va ryin g si g nifi c an c e : c i rru s c lou d s t e ll that the Uwan
n ami are p assin g about fo r p leasu re ; c umu lu s and nimbu s
that the ea rth i s to be watered Y et it is not from but .
,
t hrou g h the c lou d s tha t t he rain really c omes : ea c h c lou d i s
,
a S ieve into whi c h the water is p ou red di re c t ly o r s p rin kled
by means o f the p lu med s t i c ks su c h a s the Zu fii u se in thei r
,
p rayers fo r rain O f thi s .s ame tribe Mrs Stevenson says a.
g ain
These p eo p le rarely c ast t heir eyes u p wa rd wi t hout invokin g
the rain-makers for in thei r a ri d l and rain is the p ri me obj e c t
,
o f p rayer Thei r water vases a re c overed with c lou d and rain
.
emblems and the water in the vase symbolizes t he life o r
, ,
”
sou l o f t he vase This p i c tu resqu e c on c e p tion o f the o ffi c e o f
,
.
the an c estral g od s i s no t S ha red by the Hop i who re g a rd t he ,
rain a s c oming d ire c tly from a s p e c i al g rou p o f g od s the O m o ,
wu h s ; but the Ho p i do believe th at the dead a re p otent in
t e rce sso rs with these deities and they c all the m as k whi c h is
,
“
p la c ed over the fa c e o f the de c eased a p rayer to the dead to
”
b rin g rain .
Pueblo mas kers p ersonate divine and mythologi c al be i n g s o f
many des c r i p tions a s wel l a s the an c estral dead and to the
, ,
m asks themselves atta c hes a kind o f veneration due to thei r ,
s a c red em p loyment B esides the mas ks however many other
.
, ,
obj e c ts a re u sed as r i tu alisti c s a cr a S t i c ks p ainted with sy m.
b o lic c olou rs and adorned with p lumes whi c h c onvey the
,
b reath o f p rayer u p ward to the g ods are offered by the thou ,
19 2 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
w ho a re admitted into K o t hlu wa lawa after death The other .
fra t erni t ies o f Zu ii i have in c harg e the servi c e o f animal not ,
anthro p i c deities ,
bein g s reg arded rather as p owerfu l inter
m e d ia rie s between men and g od s and as ma g i c al assistants ,
o f hunters and do c tors than a s rulers o f c reation ,
I n the Ho p i .
t owns p riests and fraternities l ikewis e form the s a c erdotal
org anization thou g h with a c lea rer de p enden c e u p on wha t
,
is eviden t ly a more an c ient and p rimitive system o f c la n
5
worshi p .
IV . THE CALEND AR 39
Ag ri c u ltu re ma kes a p eop le not only no n—mi g ratory but ,
c lose ob servers of the seasons and hen c e o f the yea rly station s ,
o f t he s u n The c ount o f t ime by moon s is suffi c ient for nom ad i c
.
p eo p les ,
o r for tribes whose sub sisten c e is mainly by the c hase ,
but in a settled a g ri c ultu ral c ommu ni t y the p rimitive lu na r
yea r is sooner o r l ater rep la c ed by a solar yea r d etermined by ,
the p as sa g e o f the su n th rou g h the solstitial an d equ ino c tial
p oints Th e luna r measu re o f time will not be ab andoned
.
,
but it will be c orre c ted by the sol ar and g radu ally g ive way ,
to the latter Su c h indeed is the outline of all c alend ri c
.
, ,
develo p men t
Th e Zun i year is d ivided into t wo seasons in au g u rated by ,
the solsti c es ea c h o f whi c h is c om p osed o f S ix month s
,
lun a
t ions subd ivid ed into th ree ten-d ay p eriod s The Sig n ifi c a
,
.
tion s o f t he month names a re interestin g : the month o f the
win t er solsti c e whi c h i s the beg innin g o f the year is c alled
, ,
Tu rnin g B a c k in referen c e to t he Su n Fa t her s retu rn from
-
,
’
the sou t h ; it is followed by L imbs o f-the-Trees-B roken-b y -
Snow No—Snow in—t he-R oad L ittle-Wind B ig-Wind an l o
,
—
, , ,
N ame F o r the remainin g h alf o f the year t hes e a p p ellations
.
, ,
thou g h now ina p p rop riate a re u sed a g ain the months o f the
, ,
se c ond h alf-yea r bein g stri c t ly s p eakin g nameles s A s imila r
, ,
.
d u p li c a t ion o c c u rs i n the Ho p i c alend a r where the names o f ,
five moons are re p eated but in summer and winter rathe r ,
P L A T E XXV I
W a ll d e c o rat i o n in t heoom o f a Ra i n Pri e st
r ,
Z u ni Be ne ath t he c l oud-symbo ls are Pl um ed Se r
.
p e nt,
s wh il e a s a c re d F ro
g w e a ri n
, g a c l o ud c ap a n d
s hooti ng fo rth li ght n ings sta nd s o n th e i r p rotrud i ng
,
to ngu e s A fte r 23 d R B E Pl ate X XXV I
.
,
.
THE PU E B LO DWE LLE R S 19 3
than i n the solstitial d iv i s i on whi c h however p lays an i m p or
, , ,
tant r dle in the ferial c alend ar F ew k e s re c ord s an interestin g
.
remark th a t m ay g ive the tru e reason for the a rran g ement :
“
When we o f t he u p p er worl d are c eleb ratin g the winter Pa
’ “
moon s aid t h e p riest t he p eo p le o f the u nder worl d a re
, ,
en g a g ed in the O bservan c e o f the Snake o r Flu t e [summer fes
”
t iv a ls] and vi c e vers a
,
Th e p riest added t ha t t he p rayer
.
sti c ks whi c h were t o be u sed by the Hop i in t heir summer
fes t ivals were p rep ared in winter du rin g t he time when the
“
u nderworld folk were p erformin g these ri t es F rom their .
”
m any stories of the u nder world wri t es F e w k e s I am led to
, ,
believe that the Ho p i c onsider i t a c ou n t erp art o f t he ear t h s ’
s u rfa c e and a reg ion inh ab ited by sentien t bein g s I n this
,
.
u nder world the season s altern ate wi t h t hose in the u p p er
world and when it is su mmer in the above it i s winter in t he
,
world below C eremonies are s aid to be p erformed there
.
,
a s here .
Both Zu fi i and Ho p i h ave p riests whose s p e c ial duty it is to
o bserve t he annu al c ou rse o f t he su n and hen c e to d etermine ,
the d ates for the g reat festival s o f the winter and summer
s ols t i c es
13
The Zu fi i su n p riest u ses a s his g nomon a p etrified
.
s tum p whi c h stand s at the outs ki rts o f the V illa g e and at whi c h ,
h e s p rinkles meal and m akes his mornin g p rayers to the su n ,
u ntil,
on the day when that luminary rises at a c er t ain
p oint o f C o m Mou ntain the p riesthood,
is informed o f the
a
pp roa c hin g han g e
c Every fou rth mornin g for twenty d ays
.
, ,
t he su n p riest offers p rayer—p lumes to t he Su n Father t he ,
Moon Mother and to de p a rted su n p riests ; o n the twentieth
,
m ornin g he annou n c es t ha t in ten d ays the ris in g su n will
s tri ke the Middle Pl a c e in the hea rt o f Zu fi i and the c eremony
, ,
w ill be g in This rite o c c u p ies another twenty-d ay p eriod b e
.
,
g innin g with p rayers to the g od s and endin g in d ays of c a rniva l
and givin g ; du rin g this time the g od s are su p p osed to vis i t
t he town ima g es and fetis hes are b rou g ht forth and adorned
, ,
rayer - lumes a re de osited by ea c h family i n honou r o f i ts
p p p
19 4 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
an c estral rain-b rin g ers boys are initia t ed by c eremonial fl o g
,
in t he s a c red fi re i s kindled by the fi re-maker and there
21
g g , ,
i s a g reat hou se c leanin g moral a s well as p hysi c al for p e r
, ,
s o n a t o rs o f the g od s ma ke it a p art of their duty to set t l e
family qu arrel s and to re p r i mand the del inqu ents you n g and ,
o ld. At ea c h sols t i c e the su n is believed to rest in his yearl y
j ou rney ( the Ho p i S p ea k of the solstitial p oints a s
when the su n strikes a c ertain p oint o n G rea t Mou nta i n five
d ays in su c c ession the se c on d c han g e o f the year ta kes p l a c e
,
.
The c eremonies o f the su mmer solsti c e in c lu de p il g r i ma g es t o
s hrines and el aborate d an c es and this is also the season when
,
it is es p e c ially lu c ky to fi re p ottery so that all the kiln s a re
,
smokin g An instru ctive featu re i s the i g nit i ng o f d ried g ras s
.
and trees and bonfi res g enerally ; fo r the Zu fi i b elieve c lou d s
t o be akin to smoke and by means o f the smoke o f their
,
fi res they seek to en c ou ra g e the Uw ann a m i to b rin g rain ” .
The c eremony of the su mmer solsti c e in fa c t i s the inau g u ra, ,
tion o f the series o f masqu es in whi c h they in c ommon with ,
the o t her Pueblos im p lore mo i stu re from heaven for the c ro p s
,
that a re now S p rin g in g u p .
Th e Ho p i su n p r i ests m ake u se o f thi rteen p oints o n t he
horizon for the determin ation o f c eremonial d ates Thei r ritu al .
yea r be g ins in November with a New Fi re c eremony whi c h ,
i s g iven in an el aborate an d extended form every fou rth yea r ,
fo r it then in c ludes the initiation o f novi c es into the fra t erni
ties Ot her c e r monies a re s i mila rly el aborated at these s ame
.
times ; while still other rites as the S na ke and Flute-D an c es
, ,
o c c u r in alternate yea rs The Hop i yea r is d iv i ded into t wo
.
u nequ al se asons th e g reater festivals o cc u rrin g in the lon g e r
,
season whi c h in c lu des t he c old months Five and nine d ays
, .
are the u su al a c tive p eriods for the g reater festivals thou g h ,
the total du ration from the annou n c ement to the fin al p u rifi c a
tion i s in some instan c es twenty d ays O f the g reater fes t ivals
.
,
t he New Fi re c eremony o f November i s followed at the winter
solsti c e by t he So y alu ii a i n whi c h t he g erm g o d i s S u p p li c ated
,
19 6 N O R T H A M E R I C AN M YT H O LO G Y
self to the New World The g rea t summer sol sti c e festival o f
.
t he C el t s wi t h i t s b ale fi re s i s o f a kind with that o f the Zu fi i
, , ,
while t h e p u rifi c a t ion c eremonies o f the winter solsti c e h av e
p oin t s of iden t i t y wi t h t he R oman L u p er c alia the A nthesteri a ,
o f t he Greeks and simila r festival s whi c h c lose analysis wou l d
, ,
mul t i p ly The qu ad rennial and b ienni al c h ara c ter of m any
.
Pueblo c eremonies a s well as the division into g reater an d lesse r
,
ri t es a re s t ill other noteworthy analo g u es o f Greek u sa g e
,
.
V . THE G R EAT R ITE S AN D TH E I R M YTH S
Perha p s no featu re o f Pueblo c u ltu re is more d istin c tiv e
than the c alendr i c arran g ement o f their reli g iou s rites O ther .
tribes i n North A meri c a have c eremonies a s el aborate a s any
in t he p ueblos and p rob ably in most c ases these ritu al s a re
,
re g arded as a p p ro p riate only to c ertain season s o f the year ,
but it is not g enerally the season that b r i n g s the p erforman c e
s i c knes s and the need for c u re the fulfilment o f a v o w the , ,
m u n ifi c e n c e o r ambition o f a ri c h m an a re the c ommoner o c ,
c asions I n the p u eblos o n t he other h and not a moon p as ses
.
, ,
without its ne c ess ary and d istin c tive festivals whi c h are fru it ,
o f the season rather t han o f individu al need o r i m p u lse thu s ,
m arkin g a g reat ste p i n t he di re c tion o f so c ial sol i da rity and
c u ltu ral advan c ement .
The ori g in o f these c eremonies h arks b a c k to the g enesis o f
the tribes Most o f these a re formed o f an amal g am o f c l an s
.
whi c h from time to time h ave j o i ned themselves to the initial
trib al nu c leu s and have eventu ally be c ome welded in t o a sin g le
,
body E a c h o f these c l ans ha s b rou g ht to t he tribe i t s o wn ri t es
.
,
the mythi c sou r c e o f whi c h i s zealou sly re c ou n t ed ; and thu s
the g eneral c orp u s o f the trib al ritu al has been en ri c hed B u t .
the j oinin g o f c l an to tribe h as e m aile d a modifi c ation : by
adop tion and initiation new members h ave been added from ,
wi t hout the c l an to the c eremonial body and eventu ally ( a
, ,
p ro c ess whi c h seems to h ave g one farthest in Zu fi i) a c u lt
THE PUE B LO DWE LLE R S 19 7
so c iety o r fraternity h a s re p l a c ed the c lan as the vehi c le o f
, ,
t he rite ; a g ain c lans with an alog ou s o r syn c hronou s rites
,
have u n ited thei r Observan c es into a new and c om p li c ated
c eremony p a rtly p ubli c p a rtly se c ret
,
for the esoteri c a s
,
—
p eet is never qu ite lost ea c h or g anization havin
, g its o w n rites ,
su c h as the p re p aration o f c eremonial obj e c ts t he ere c tin g o f ,
altars e t c sh ared only by its initiates and u su ally takin g p la c e
,
.
,
in it s p rop er kiva .
A famou s c eremony o f the ty p e j u st n amed i s the Snake
D an c e o f the Hop i I nd ians the most examined o f all Pueblo,
rites.
50
This ritu al o c c u rs b iennially in five o f the Hop i v il
l a g es ; remnants o f a s imila r ob servan c e h ave been re c orded
from Zu fi i and t he eastern g rou p o f p ueblos ; and i t is p robable
t hat a form o f it was c eleb rated in p re-C olumbian Mexi c o .
The p a rt i c i p ants in the Hop i Sn ake-D an c e are the members o f
two fratern ities the Sna ke and the A ntelo p e ea c h of whi c h
c ondu c ts both s e c ret and p ub li c rites du rin g the nine d ays o f
the fest i val I n th e ea rly p art o f the c eremony serp ents a re
.
c a p tu red in the field s and b rou g ht to the kiva o f the Sn ake
p riests where
,
the re p tiles u nder g o a ritu al b athin g and tendin g;
the bu ilding o f the Snake al t a r wi t h p e rso n ifi c at io n s o f the
,
S nake Youth and Snake Maid the initiation o f nov i c es th e , ,
S in g in g o f son g s an d the re c itation o f p rayers are other rites
,
o f the se c ret c eremon ial The A n t elo p e p riests meantime ere c t
.
their own altar o n whi c h are symbols o f rain c lou d s and li g ht
,
-
nin g as well as o f m aize and other fru its o f the earth ; and
,
lead in a p ubl i c d an c e in whi c h symbol s o f veg etation and water
a re dis p layed The A ntelo p e p riests moreover are the first
.
, ,
to a p p ear i n the p ub li c d an c e o n the final d ay when the sn akes ,
are b rou g ht forth from the S na ke kiva These are c arried i n .
the mouths o f the d an c in g Sna ke p riests who a re s p r i nkled ,
with meal by the women ; and finally the serp ents a re taken
far into the field s and loosed that they may bea r to the Powers ,
B elow the p rayers for rain and fertility wh i c h i s the obj e c t
o f the whole c eremony .
19 8 N O RT H A M E R I CA N M YT H O LO G Y
The symbolism o f t he Snake Dan c e i s in p art ex p lained by
-
the myth whi c h in var y in g versions the Ho p i tell o f the Snake
, ,
You t h and Maid I t is a story very s imilar to the Navaho tale
.
’
o f t he Floatin g Lo g A youth a c hief s so n s p ent h is d ays
.
, ,
beside the Grand C anyon wonderin g where all the water o f
,
“
t he river flowed to and think i n g That mu st m ake it very ,
full somewhere . Finally he emb arks in a hollow lo g and i s
,
borne to t he sea where he i s hailed by S p i der Wom an who
, ,
be c omes his wizardly as sistant To g ether they visit the k i va
.
o f t he mythi c Snake Peo p le at the moment hu man in S ha p e
, ,
who subj e c t t he you n g man to tests whi c h with the aid o f , ,
S p ider Woman he su c c essfu lly meets The Snake Peop le then
,
.
a ssu me serp entine form ; at the insti g ation o f S p ider Woman
he seizes the fier c est o f these whereu p on the re p tile be c omes
,
a beautifu l g irl who before the transformation had c au g ht the
, ,
youth s fan c y This is the S nake Maid whom he now m arries
’
.
,
and leads b a c k t o his o wn c ou ntry The fi rst o ff s p rin g o f thi s
.
u nion is a brood o f serp ents ; but later human c hildren a re born ,
to be c ome the an c estors o f the Snake C lan I n some versions .
,
the Snake Maid de p arts after the bi rth o f her c hildren never ,
to retu rn ; o r her off s p rin g are d riven forth from them s p rin g ,
ing a s t ran g e g oddes s of wild c reatu res a sor c eress who g am ,
bles fo r life with you n g hu nters and who c arries a c h i ld that
,
i s never born .
I n th i s myth i c medley i t i s easy to se e that the forc es o f
g eneration a re the p rimary p owers The Snake Maid from the .
,
waters o f the west is the p ersonifi c ation o f u nderworl d life
, ,
t he l ife tha t a p p ears in the c u ltivated maize o f the fields an d
t he re p rodu c tion o f an i mal s in the wild s ( there a re many in
d ic at io n s that other animal s besides snakes were formerly im
p ortant in the rite ) F e w k e s reg ards her a s the Corn Goddes s
.
herself and in o ne Ho p i myth a C orn Maid is transformed into
a snake .
35
The Snake Youth i s p rob ably a sk y-p ower for i n ,
at least o n e version the Su n-Man bea rs the youth o n h i s b a c k
in his c ou rse about the earth The si g nifi c an c e o f the a ntelo p e
.
20 0 N O R T H A M E R I CA N M YTH O LO G Y
was rel a t ed they were sent at the c ommand o f t he Su n p riest
, ,
to lead t hem to the p eo p le The Maidens c ame and d an c ed .
before t h em all in a c ou rt de c orated with a meal—p ain t ing o f
c lou d -symbols B ut as they d an c ed the p eo p le fell as lee p for
.
,
i t was ni g ht and du rin g their slumber P ay at am u t he d im inu
, ,
tive fl o we r—c rowned g o d who p lays his flute in the field s c au s ,
ing the flowers to bloom and the butterflies to c rowd af t er
h im ( Pied Pi p er and g o d Pan in o ne ) c ame near and s aw the ,
Maidens d an c in g He thou g h t them all beautiful but deemed
.
,
the Y ellow Corn Maiden the lovel iest o f all They read his .
thou g hts and in fea r ke p t o n d an c in g u ntil he t o o fell aslee p
, , , ,
when they fled away by the fi rst li g ht o f the mornin g s t a r
, ,
to the Mist a nd C lou d S p rin g where the g ods in the form o f , ,
d u c ks s p read the i r win g s and c on c ealed the Maidens hidin g
,
i n the waters B ut famine c ame to the p eo p le and in their d is
.
,
tres s they Called u p on t he God s o f Wa r to find the Corn Maid
ens fo r them These two besou g h t B it s it si the mu si c i an and
.
,
j ester of the Su n Father t o ai d them and he from a hei g ht
, ,
’
beheld the Maidens beneath the s p readin g feathers o f a du c k s
win g s I n t heir kiva the A shiwa nni were s ittin g without fire
.
,
“
food d rink o r smoke : all t hei r thou g hts were g iven to the
, ,
”
C orn Maidens and to rain B it sit si borne by the Galaxy
.
, ,
who bowed to ea rth to re c eive h im went to the Ma i dens with ,
the mes sa g e o f the Ashiwa n n i whi c h he commu ni c ated w i th,
o u t words ; all s p oke wi t h thei r hearts ; hearts s p oke to hea rts ,
”
a nd li p s did not move He p romised them s afety and b rou g ht
.
them on c e more to the A shiwi before whom they ena c ted the ,
c eremonial d an c e whi c h was to be h anded down in the ri t es
o f thei r des c end ants Even P aya t am u ass isted His home is a
. .
c ave o f fo g and c lou d with a rainbow door and then c e he c ame ,
“
b rin g in g flutes to ma ke mu si c fo r the d an c ers The Corn .
Maidens d an c ed from d ayli g ht u ntil ni g ht Those o n the north .
s ide p assin g arou nd by the west j oined their S i sters o n the
, ,
south side and leavin g the ham p o ne [wavin g c orn ] d an c ed in
, , ,
the p laza t o the mu si c o f the c hoi r A fter they had all retu rned .
P LA T E XXV I I
A lta r o f t he Ante l o p e Pri e st s o f t he Ho p i . T he
c entra l d ry- p a int i ng
re pre se nts ra in c l oud s a nd light
-
ni n
g . A bout th is are a rra ng ed symbo ls o f v egetat i o n ,
p ra ye r St ic k s offe ri ngs o f m e a l e t c
, ,
A ft e r 1 9 d RB E
.
,
Pl ate X L VI .
THE PUEB LO DWE LL E R S 20 1
to t heir p la c es the Maidens o n the south side p as sin g by the ,
wes t j oined their sis t ers o n the north and d an c ed to the mu si c
, , ,
not only o f t he c hoi r but also o f t he g rou p o f t rum p eters led
,
by P ay at am u Th e Maidens were led ea c h time to the p laza by
.
either thei r elder s i ster Y ellow Corn Maiden o r the B lue Corn ,
Maiden and they hel d their beautifu l thla we ( u nderworld p lant
,
p lumes ) in either hand T h e C orn Maidens never
. a g ain a
p
”
e a re d to the A s h iwi
p .
No t all myth s c onne c ted with the maize are a s inno c ent o r
p oeti c a s this T h e wit c hes that g ave the seed to the C orn
.
Maiden s were the two last c omers from the U nderworld at the
time o f the emerg en c e At first the A shiwi were in favou r o f
.
sendin g them b a c k but the wit c hes told them that they had i n
,
their p osses sion the s eed s o f all t hin g s in ex c han g e for whi c h ,
they d emanded the s a c rifi c e o f a youth and a maid d ec l ar ,
“ ”
ing We wi sh to kill the c hil d ren that the rains may c ome
, .
So a boy an d a g i rl c hild ren o f o ne o f the Div i ne O nes were
, ,
devoted and the rain c ame an d the earth bore fru it
, ,
bitter
fru it it wa s at fi rst till the o wl and the raven and th e c oyote
, ,
h ad softened and swee tened it Here we h ave o n e o f the many .
le g end s o f the South -West telling of the s a c rifi c e o f c h il d ren to
the L ord s o f the Waters whi c h seem t o p oint to a time when
the Pu eblo dwellers and the i r ne i g hbou rs like the A zte c s o f the ,
south c ast the i r o wn flesh an d blood to the hard-b argainin g
,
Tlalo q u e .
29
-
The o ne theme o f Pu eblo ritu al i s p rayer fo r rain When .
as ked for an ex p l an ation o f hi s r i tes s ays F e wk e s ( A nn u a l ,
Rep o r t of the Sm iths o n ia n I n f titu tio n 1 8 96 p p 69 8 , ,
.
there are two fu nd amental s always o n the li p s o f the Ho p i
“
p riest .We c lin g to t he rites o f ou r an c estors be c au se they
have been p ronou n c ed g ood by t hose who know ; we ere ct o u r
altars sin g o u r traditional son g s and c elebrate o u r s a c re d
, ,
d an c es for rain that o u r c orn may g erminate and yield abu n
”
d ant harvest A n d he g ives the c all with whi c h the town c rie r
.
at d awn announ c es the feast
20 2 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
All p e o p l e awa k e , o p e n you r e y e s , a ri se,
B e c om e c h il d re n of li g ht , vi g o ro u s , a c t ive , s p ri g ht l y .
H a s t e n c l o u d s f ro m t he fou r wo rl d qu a r te rs ;
C om e sn ow in p l e n ty , that wat e r m ay b e a b un d an t wh e n su m m e r
c om e s ;
Com e ic e c over th e fi e l d s th a t th e p l a n t ing m ay y iel d a b un d a n c e
, , .
Le t a ll h e a r t s b e g l ad !
The kn ow in g on e s w ill a ss e mb le in fo ur d ay s ;
Th ey w ill e n c irc le th e vill a g e da n c in g a n d s in g in g th eir la y s
Th at m ois ture m ay c om e in a b un d an c e .
VI . SIA AN D HO P I C O S MOG ON I ES 15
No I ndian s are more inveterate and a c c om p lished tellers o f
tales than are the Pueblo dwellers Thei r re p e rtoi re in c lu des it s
.
full quota o f c oyote trad itions and stories o f g hosts bu g aboos , ,
c annibals og res and fa i ries as well as le g ends o f mi g ration
,
2
, ,
and c lan a c c ession o f c u ltu ral innovations and the fou nd
,
ing o f rites the histor i c al c hara c ter o f whi c h is more or less
,
c lear . B ut for insi g ht into fundamen t al beliefs the c osmo g oni c
myths o f these a s of other p eo p les a re the most valu able of all
, , .
To be su re not all the bein g s who p lay leadin g r é ler i n c o s
,
m o g o n y are equ ally i m p ortant in c u lt : many o f them belon g t o
“ ”
t hat elder g eneration o f traditiona ry p owers whi c h a p p ea r
in every hi g hly develo p ed mythi c system ; and of t en t he p o
t e n c ie s for whi c h there i s a real reli g iou s venera t ion a re sy m
b o liz e d in myth by more o r les s stran g e p e rso n ifi c at io n s as
S p ider Woman in the South West a p p ears to be only an ima g e
,
—
,
o f the E arth Goddess su g g ested by t h e u n c annily hu g e ea rth
,
nestin g s p iders o f that reg ion Nevertheles s it i s to c o sm o g
.
,
o n ies tha t we mu st look fo r the c learest definition of mythi c
p owers .
I n the i r g eneral outlines the c osmog onies o f the Pueblo
dwellers are in a c c ord with the Navaho Genesis with whi c h ,
they c learly share a c ommon ori g in They d i ffer from this .
,
and amon g t hemselves in the a rran g ement and em p hasi s o f
,
i n c idents as well a s in d ramati c and c on c e p tu al ima g ination
, .
20 4 N O RTH AMER ICAN MYTHO LO G Y
rel o f the men and women thei r sep a ration and the b i rth Of , ,
c annibal bein g s from the women events whi c h the Navaho
la c e in the U nderworld now o c c u r ; a little while later the
p
sexes reunite and a virg in emb ra c ed by the Sun g ives b irth
, , ,
to Maase we and Uyu u y ewe the diminutive twin Warriors , ,
who visi t thei r Su n F ather and a re armed to sl ay the monsters
, ,
a s in Navaho myth 44
A fter the de p artu re o f the Wa rrior
.
Twins the wa t ers o f the U nderworld beg an t o r i se and the
, ,
o p Of a mes a the fl ood
49
p eo p le fl ed to the t bein g p la c ated only
,
by the s a c rifi c e Of a youth and a m aiden When the ea rth .
wa s a g ain hardened the p eo p le resu med thei r sear c h for the
,
Middle Pla c e whi c h they rea c hed in fou r d ays and where they
,
bu ilt thei r p ermanent home S hortly afterward a V irgin g ave .
bi r t h to a so n Po sha iy an ne who g rew u p out c ast and neg
,
56
, ,
le c t e d to be c ome a g reat ma g i c ian ; g amb lin g with the c hief
, ,
he wo n all the t owns and p osses sions Of the tribe and the p eop le ,
themselves but he u sed his p ower b e n efi c e n t ly and be c ame a
,
p otent brin g er O f wealth and g ame Finally he de p arted p rom .
, ,
is in g to retu rn ; but o n the way he was atta c ked and s lain by
j ealou s enemies A white fluffy ea g le feather fel l and tou c hed
.
,
his body and a s it c ame in c onta c t with him i t rose a g ain
, , ,
and he with i t on c e more alive Somewhere he still lives the
,
.
,
Si a say and sometime he will c ome b a c k to his p eop le Here
,
.
we meet a northern version o f the famou s leg end o f Q uetzal
c o at l
69
.
Ho p i myths Of the b eg i nn i n g s ontain the s ame g eneral in c
c id e n t s I n the U nderworld there was nothin g but water ; two
.
women Hu ru ing Wu ht i Of the E ast and Hu ru ing Wu ht i Of
7
,
the West lived in thei r east and west hou ses and the Su n made
, ,
h is j ou rney from o ne to the other des c endin g throu g h an Op en ,
ing in the kiva Of t he West at ni g ht and emerg in g from a simi
lar a p ertu re in t he kiva o f t he E ast at d awn These deities .
de c ided to c reate l and and they d ivided the wa t ers that t he
,
earth m i g ht a p p ear Then from c lay they formed fi rst bird s
.
, , ,
whi c h belon g ed to the Sun t hen animals whi c h were the p ro p
, ,
THE PUEB LO D WE LL E R S 20 5
e rt y o f the t wo Women and finally men whom the Women
, ,
rubbed wi t h t hei r p alms and so endowed with u nderstandin g 70
.
At fi rs t t h e p eo p le l ived in t he U nderworld in Pa rad isi c bliss ,
but t he sin Of li c entiou snes s a p p ea red and they were d riven
,
forth by the risin g wa t ers es c a p in g only u nder the leadershi p
,
o f S p ider Woman by means o f a g iant reed su nflower an d
, , ,
42
two kind s Of p ine tree - Mo c kin g-B ird assi g ned them thei r
.
tribes and lan g u a g es a s they c ame u p but h is son g s were e,
h au st e d before all emerg ed and the res t fell ba c k into nether
g loom . A t t his time death entered i nto t he world fo r a sor c erer ,
c au sed the son of a c hief t o die The fa t her was a t fi rst deter
.
mined to c ast t he g u ilty o ne ba c k into t he S i p a p u the hole of ,
emerg en c e bu t relented when he was sho w n his dead son
,
livin g in t he realm below : Th at i s the way i t will be said ,
“ ” 16
the sor c erer if anyone dies he will g o down there
,
.
Th e earth u p on whi c h the Fi rst Peo p le h ad emerg ed wa s
d ark and su nless and only o n e bein g dwelt there S keleton
13
, , ,
who was very p oor althou g h he h ad a little fi re and some m aize
,
.
The p eo p le determined to c reate Moon and Su n su c h a s they ,
h ad had in the U nderworld a nd t hese t hey c ast with thei r
, ,
c a rriers u p into the s k y
,
They then se t o u t to sear c h for the
.
su nrise se p aratin g into three d ivisions
,
the White Peo p le
—
to the south the I ndians to the north and the Pueb los in
, ,
the c entre I t was a g reed that whenever o ne o f the p arties
.
a rrived at the sunrise the others shou ld sto p where they
,
stood The whites who c reated horses to aid them were the
.
, ,
fi rs t to attain their des t in ation and when they did so a g reat
,
s hower o f stars informed the others th a t o ne o f the p arties ha d
rea c hed the g oal so bo t h I ndians and Pueblo dwellers settled
,
where they now live The le g ends Of the flood and Of the
.
s a c rifi c e o f c hi ld ren are also known to the Ho p i while the ,
Wa rrior B ro t hers PO O k o ng ho y a and B alo n g a ho y a p er
form the u su al feats o f monster slayin g A dd itional in c idents
— 44
.
Of a more wide-s p read typ e are found in Ho p i and other Pueblo
mytholog ies : the killin g Of the man -devou r i ng monster by
206 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
bein g swallowed and c ut t in g a way to li g ht thu s liberatin g the ,
im p risoned vi c t ims ; t he c rea t ion o f life from the fles h O f a
slain animal ; t he freein g Of t he beasts from a c ave to p eo p l e ,
t h e world w ith g ame ; t he adventu res o f you n g hu nters wi t h
41
C i rc e like women o f the wilderness
- all o f them myths whi c h
re p resent the detritu s O f va ried c osmo g onies .
VII . ZUNI CO SMOG ON Y E
O f all the Pu eblo tales Of the ori g in o f the u niverse the Zu ni
a c c ount is the most in t erestin g fo r it alone d is p l ays some p ower
,
“
Of meta p hys i c al c on c ep tu alization I n the beginnin g A wo ma
.
wilona with the Su n Father and the Moon Mother existed
above and Shiwa n n i and Shiw a no k ia his wife below
, , ,
.
( S hi w a n n i and S hiw a n o k ia l abored not with h and s but with
hea rts and mind s ; the R ain Priests Of the Zu ni a re c alled Ashi
wanni and t he Priestes s Of Fe c u nd ity Shiw ano k ia ) A ll .
wa s ship o lo lo ( fo g ) risin g li ke steam Wi t h b reath from his
,
.
hea rt Awo n awilo n a c reated c lou d s and the g reat waters o f
the world ( He She is the blu e vau lt Of t he fi rm a m e nt
- 64
. .
Th e b reath —c lou ds Of the g od s are tin t ed with the yellow Of the
north t h e blu e-g reen o f t he west the red Of the south and the
, , ,
silver O f t he east o f Awo n awilo n a The smoke c lou d s Of white
.
and bla c k be come a p a r t o f Awo n awilo n a ; they a re himself as ,
he is the ai r itself ; and when the air takes o n the form o f a
b ird it i s but a p a rt Of himself is himself Th rou g h the li g ht.
,
c lou ds and air he be c omes the essen c e an d c reator Of v eg e
,
t a t io n ). A fter Awo n awilo n a c reated the c lou d s and the
g rea t wa t ers Of the world Shiwa n n i s ai d to Shiwa n o k ia
‘
,
I , ,
to o,
will make somethin g beautifu l whi c h will g ive li g ht at
,
’
n i g ht when the Moon Mother slee p s S p ittin g in t he p alm o f
.
his lef t hand h e p atted the s p ittle with the p al m Of his ri g ht
,
‘
hand and the s p ittle foamed li ke yu c c a su d s and then formed
,
in t o bubbles o f many c olors whi c h he blew u p ward ; and thu s
,
he c reated the fixed stars and c ons t ellations Then Shiwa no k ia .
20 8 N O RTH AME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
d ren when b rou g ht forth know o ne p l a c e from another
, , ,
even by t he white li g h t Of the Sun-father ” Now li ke .
all t h e surp assin g bein g s the Ea rth-mother and the Sky-father
were c han g eable even a s smoke in the wind ; transmutable
,
at thou g ht manifestin g themselves in any form at will li ke
, ,
a s dan c ers may by mas k —makin g Thu s as a man and .
,
woman s p ake they o n e to another
, ,
.
said the Ea rth -mother as a g reat terra c ed bowl
‘
a p p eared at h and and within it water thi s is a s u p on me the ,
homes of my tiny c hild ren shall be O n t he rim Of ea c h world .
c ou ntry they wander in terra c ed mou ntains shall stand mak
, ,
ing in o n e re g ion m any whereby c ou ntry shall be known from
,
’
c ou ntry and within ea c h p la c e from p la c e B ehold a g ain !
, ,
.
,
s aid she as she s p at o n the water and ra p idly smote and sti rred
i t with her fin g ers Foam formed g atherin g about the terra c ed
.
,
‘ ’ ‘
r i m mountin g hi g her an d hi g her Y ea said she an d from
,
.
, ,
my bosom they shall d raw nou rishment for in su c h as thi s ,
shall t hey find the sub stan c e o f life when c e w e were ou rselves
’
su stained for s ee ! Then with her warm b reath s he blew
,
a c ross the terra c es ; white fle c ks Of t he foam b roke away and , ,
floa t in g over above t he wa t er were sh attered by the c ol d ,
b rea t h Of the S ky-father attendin g an d for t hwith shed down ,
‘
wa rd abu nd antly fine mist and s p ray ! Even so shall white ,
c lou d s float u p from the g reat waters at the borders Of the
world an d c lu sterin g about the mou ntain terra c es o f the hori
,
zon s be borne aloft an d ab road by the b reaths of the su rp ass
ing sou l bein g s and Of the c hild ren and shall h ardened an d
-
, ,
b roken be by thy c old sheddin g downwa rd in rain s p ray t he
, , ,
water O f life even into the hollow p la c es O f my lap ! For t herein
,
c hiefly shall nestle o u r c hild ren m an kind and c reatu re -kind
, ,
’
for warmth i n thy c oldnes s LO ! even the trees o n hi g h
.
mou nta i ns near the c lou d s and the S ky-father c rou c h low
toward the E arth -mother for wa rm t h and p rote ction ! Wa rm
i s the Ea rth -mother c old the S ky-father even a s woman i s
, ,
the warm m an the c old bein g !
,
THE P U EB LO DWE LL E R S 20 9
’ ‘
Even so sa i d the S ky-father ; Y et no t alone shalt thou
,
’
hel p fu l be u nto o u r c hild ren for behold ! and he s p read hi s
,
h and ab road with the p alm downward and into all the wrin kles
a n d c revi c es t hereof he se t the semblan c e Of shinin g yellow
c orn -g rain s ; in the d ark Of the early world -d awn they g leamed
l i ke s p a rks Of fi re and moved a s hi s h and was moved over the
,
b owl shinin g u p from and also movin g in the dep ths o f the
,
’
water therein See ! said he p oin t in g t o the seven g rain s
.
‘
,
c l as p ed by his thu mb and fou r fin g ers
‘
by su c h shall ou r c hil ,
d ren be g u ided ; for behold when t he Su n -father i s not ni g h
, ,
a n d t hy terra c es a re a s the d ark i t self ( bein g all hidden therein ) ,
then shall o u r c hild ren be g u ided by li g h t s li ke to these li g hts
o f all t he s ix re g ions tu rnin g rou nd t he midmost o n e as in
a nd a round midmost p la c e where these o u r c hild ren shal l
,
a bide lie all the other re g ion s o f s p a c e !
,
Y ea ! an d even as these
g rain s g leam u p from the water so shall seed -g rains like to
,
them yet numberles s s p rin g u p from thy bosom when tou c hed
, ,
b y my wa t ers to nou ris h o u r c hild ren Thu s and in other ways
,
m any devised they for thei r O ff s p rin g .
Th e Zu ii i leg end c ontinu es with events made familia r in
o ther n arratives A s in th e Navaho Genesis the First Peop le
.
,
p ass th rou g h fou r u nderworlds before they finally emer g e o n
“
ea rth : t he A shiwi were qu eer bein g s when they c ame to thi s
w orld ; they h ad short de p ilou s tails lon g ears an d webbed feet , ,
a n d hand s and t heir bodies and head s were c overed with moss
, ,
a len g thy tu ft bein g o n the fore p a rt Of the head p roj e c t in g ,
”
l ike a horn ; they also g ave forth a fou l Odou r like bu rnin g ,
su l p hu r but al l these defe c ts were removed by t he Divine
,
O nes u nder whose g u id an c e t he emerg en c e and early j ou rney
,
i n g o f the Fi rst Peo p le took p la c e These g od s K o ww it u m a an d
.
,
W at su si a re twins o f the Su n and Foam and are Obviou sly
, ,
d oub le t s o f the Twin God s Of Wa r ( whose Zu ni n ames a re
v ariants Of those known to the S ia ) by whom they are l ater ,
rep la c ed 44
. O ther in c idents Of the Zu ni story tel l Of the ori g in s
o f institution s and c u lts nea r the p l a c e o f emer g en c e O f the ,
2 10 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
h ardenin g o f the world Of the sear c h for the Middle Pl a c e
, ,
and Of t h e c i t ies bu ilt and shrines dis c overed o n the way .
I n c iden t s o f the j ou rney in c lu de the in c est o f a b rother an d
17
s ister sent forwa rd as s c outs to whom a sterile p rog eny
, ,
was born and who c reated K o t hlu walawa the mou ntai n
, ,
home Of the an c estral g ods ; the a c c ession and feats o f t he
diminu t ive twins the God s o f Wa r ; the c omin g o f the Cor n
,
Maidens al ready re c ou nted ; the flood and the s a c rifi c e Of a
,
49
youth and a maid whi c h c au sed the waters to re c ede ; the
,
29
ass i g nment o f l an g u a g es and the dis p ersal o f tribes ; stor i e s
Of Po s haiy a n k i the c u ltu re hero and Of the wanderin g s
69
, ,
Of K ia k lo who v i sited P au t iwa the lord o f the dead an d re
, , ,
tu rned t o notify the Ashiwi Of the c omin g o f the g od s to endow
“
them with the b reath o f life so that after death they m i ght
enter the dan c e hou se at K o t hlu walawa before p ro c eedin g t o
” 10
the u ndermost worl d when c e they c ame .
I n the c osmo g onies o f the Pueblo dwellers thu s s ket c hed , ,
the events fall into two g rou p s : g estation o f life in the u n
d e rwo rld and bir t h therefrom an d the j ou rney to the Mid dl e
,
Pla c e Emerg en c e and Mi g ration Genesis and Exodu s Th e,
.
histori c al c ha ra c ter Of many Of the allu sion s in the mi g ration
stories h as been m ade p lau sible by a r c haeolog i c al investi g a
tions whi c h tra c e th e sou r c es Of Pueblo c u ltu re to the o ld
,
c li ff-dwellin s i n the north C h ara c teri sti c ally these abodes a re
g .
in the fa c es Of c anyon walls borderin g the deep -lyin g stream s
,
whose stri p s o f a rable shore formed the an c ient field s May it .
not be that the tales Of emerg en c e refer to the ab andonment Of
t hese an c ient c anyon-set homes never c a p able Of su p p ortin g
,
a la rg e p O p u lat io n P Some Of the tribes identify the Si p a p u
.
with the G rand C anyon su rely a noble b irth p l a c e ! an d
when in fan c y we see the F irst Peop le lookin g down from t h e
su nny hei g hts o f the p l ateau into the de p ths when c e they h a d
emerg ed and behold in g a s Often ha p p ens in the c anyons o f th e
,
South-West the trou g h Of ea rth filled with i r i des c ent m ist with
, ,
rainbows formin g b rid g el ike s p ans and the a r c hed entran c es
C H A PT E R X
T HE PA C I F I C C O A S T, W E ST
I . THE CALI F ORN I A-OREG ON TR I BES
G LAN C E at the lin g u isti c m ap o f abori g inal Nort h
A meri c a will reveal t h e fa c t that more than half Of t he
radi c al l an g u a g es Of the c ontinent north o f Mexi c o nearly
sixty in all are s p oken in the narrow stri p o f territory extend
in g from t he S ierras C as c ades and wes t ern R o c kies to t he
, ,
se a and lon g i t u dinally from the a rid re g ion s Of southern C ali
,
for mi a to the Alas kan an g le I n this re g ion nowhere extendin g
.
,
i nland more than five deg rees Of lon g i t ude are o r were s p oken
, , ,
some thi rty lan g u a g es bearin g no relation to o ne another an d ,
the g rea t maj ority o f them h avin g no kind red ton g u e The .
ex c e p tional c ases where re p resentatives of the g reat c ontine u
,
tal sto c ks have p enetrated to the c oast c om p rise the Y uma n
,
and S hoshonean tribes o c c u p yin g southern C alifornia where ,
the p lateau reg ion de c lines Op enly to the se a ; small g rou p s o f
Atha p as c ans o n the c oasts Of C alifornia and O reg on ; and the
numerou s Sal ishan u nits o n the O reg on-Washin g ton c oast an d
about Pu g et Sou nd .
I t is this latter intru sion the S alishan whi c h d ivides the
, ,
C oast R e g ion in t o two p arts p hysiog ra p hi c ally and ethni c ally
,
d is t in c t F rom A l aska to Mexi c o the Pa c ifi c C oast is walled
.
O ff from the c ontinental interior by high and diffi c u lt mou n
tain ran g es There a re i n the whole extent only two re g ion s
.
, ,
i n whi c h the natu ral a c c es s is easy I n t he sou t h where the Si
.
,
erra Nevad a ran g e subsides into the Mohave Desert the g reat ,
Southern Trail enters C alifornia ; and here we find the ab
ori g ines o f the desert interior p ressin g to the se a The No rth .
THE PA CI F I C COA ST, WE ST 213
ern o r O reg on Trail follows the g eneral c ou rse o f the Mis sou r i
, ,
to its headwa t ers c rosses the d ivide and p ro c eeds down the
, ,
C olumb ia to it s mouth ; and t his m arks the g eneral l ine Of
S alisha n o c c u p an c y whi c h extend s northwa rd t o the more
,
d iffi c u lt a c c es s O p ened by the F raser R iver The Salish an .
tribes form a division at on c e se p aratin g and trans it i on
,
ally u nitin g a northern and a sou t hern c oastal c u ltu re o f
m arkedly d is t in c t ty p e I ndeed the S alish form a kind Of
.
,
key to t he c on t inen t tou c hin g the Pl ains c iviliza t ion to the
,
east and t hat Of the Plateau to the south a s well as the two ,
c oastal t y p es ; so that there i s p erha p s no g rou p Of I nd ian s
more d iffic u l t to c l assify with res p e c t t o c u ltu ral relationshi p s .
The lin g u isti c divers ity O f the southern Of the t wo C oast
rou s bounded by the Salis h i s far g reater th an tha t o f the
g p
nort hern I n C aliforni a alone over twenty d istin c t lin g u is t i c
.
s t o c ks have been noted and O reg on add s s everal to this s c ore
, .
Su c h a med ley o f ton g u es i s fou nd nowhere else in the worl d
s ave i n the C au c asu s o r the Himalaya mou ntains re g ion s —
where s harp ly divided valleys and mou ntain fastnes ses have
afforded se c u re retreat for the weaker tribes Of men at the ,
s ame time holdin g them i n sedentary isola t ion S imilar c o n .
d it io n s p revail i n C alifornia the c hequer Of mou ntai n and
,
valley fos t ering divers ity F u rthermore the n atu re Of the lit
.
,
toral c ontributed to a li ke end The North-Western c oast .
,
from Pu g et Sou nd to A l as ka i s frin g ed by an u ninterru p ted
,
a r c hi p el a g o ; the tr i bes o f this re g ion are the most ex p e rt in
m aritime arts Of all A meri c an abori g i nes ; and the lin g u isti c
sto c ks owin g to this ready c ommu ni c ation a re relatively few
, ,
.
F rom the mouth Of the Columbi a to the S anta B a rb a ra I s
l ands o n the c ontrary the c oast i s b roken by only o ne s p a c iou s
, ,
h arbou r —
the b ay of S an F ranc isco and little en c ou ra g e
ment is O ffered to seafa rers A mong the tribes o f this c oast the
.
art o f n avi g ation was little known : the C hinook o n the C olu m ,
bia and the C humash an I ndians who o c c u p ied the S ant a
, ,
B arb ara I sl ands bu ilt ex c ellent c anoes and u sed them w i th
, ,
2 14 N O RTH AMER ICAN MY THO LO GY
s kill ; but amon g the in t ervenin g p eop les rafts an d bal sas c ru d ,
e s t Of wa t er trans p or t s t ook the p l a c e o f boats and even se a
, ,
food w as li t tle sou g ht seeds and fru its and es p e c ially a c orn
, ,
meal bein g t he c hief sub sisten c e o f the C alifornia n tribes
,
.
I n t he g eneral c h ara c ter Of t hei r c u ltu re t he tribes Of
this reg ion form a u nity as m arked a s is thei r diversity o f
s p ee c h So c ially thei r o rg anization was p rimitive withou t
.
,
c entralized t ribal authority o r true g entile division They .
lived in villa g e c ommu nities whose c hiefs maintained thei r
,
as c endan c y by the vi rtue Of l iberal g ivin g ; and a dis t in c tive
featu re Of many Of the C alifornian V illa g es wa s the la rg e
c ommu n al hou ses o c c u p ied by many families G ras s tu le .
, ,
b ru sh and ba rk were the c ommon hou s i n g materials for
, ,
s kill in woodworkin g was only sli g htly advan c ed ; northward ,
however p l an k hou ses were bu il t su c h as o c c u r the len g th
, ,
o f t he Nort h-West C oast O f the abori g inal a rts only ba sket
.
makin g in wh i c h the C alifornian I ndians and es p e c ially the
, ,
A tha p as c a n Hu p a ex c el al l other t rib e s wa s the only o ne hi g hly
, ,
d evelo p ed ; p ottery-makin g was almost u nknown I n other .
res p e c ts these p eop les are d istin c tive : they were u nwarlike
to the p oint o f t i midity ; they d id no t tortu re p risoners ; an d
in c ommon with the Y uman and Piman sto c ks but in co n ,
trast to most other p eop les Of North A meri c a they ve ry g e n ,
e ra lly p referred c rem ation to bu ri al I ntelle c tu ally they a re
.
lethargi c and thei r myths c ontain no element Of c ons c iou s
,
h istory ; they reg a rd themselves as auto c hthones and su c h ,
they doubtles s a re in the sense th at the i r an c estors have co n
,
t in u o u sly o c c u p ied C alifornia for m any c entu ries Phys i c a l .
and mental traits p o i nt to a ra c i al u nity whi c h i s i n p a rt bo rne
o u t by thei r lan u age itself ; for althou h thei r s ee c h i s n o w
g g p
d ivided into m any sto c ks between wh i c h no relationshi p c a n
be tra c ed a c lea r indi c ation o f long an d c onservative segre
g a t io n —
yet t here i s a sim i la r i ty in p honeti c material the
, ,
C alifornian ton g ues bein g notable among I nd i an langu ages
, ,
for vo c ali c wealth and h armony .
2 16 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
a n initiation into the tribal mysteries the c eremony i n c lu din g ,
the re c ountin g Of myths R ites o f this c hara c ter a re not a l
.
ways c om p u lsory nor a re they limited to boys sin c e men who
, ,
have p assed t he ag e p eriod without the c eremony sometime s
p arti c i p a t e later T. he body o f initiates form s a kind o f Med i
c ine So c iety ,
h avin g in C ha rg e the reli g iou s su p ervis i on Of the
villa g e Still a third c eremoni al g rou p i n c lu des ma g i c d an c es
.
intended to foster the c reative life Of natu re the nu mber of ,
su c h rites varyin g from tribe to tribe .
C eremonial symbolism so el aborate in m any p ort i ons o f
,
A meri c a is l i ttle develop ed in the West-C oa st re g ion Pic t o
,
.
g ra p h s are u n known and fetishes little em p loyed ; nor i s there
anythin g a p p roa c hin g in c hara c ter the c om p li c ated u se of
mask p ersonations whi c h rea c hes its hi g hest form s i n t he
nei g hbou rin g South -West and North -West Mythi c tales and .
ritu al son g s h ave a simila r inferiority O f develo p ment the ex ,
tremes Of the re g ion nor t h an d south showin g the greatest
, ,
advan c ement in this a s in other res p e cts I n o ne p arti c ul a r .
the C alifornians stand well in advan c e : th rou g hou t the c e n
tral reg ion thei r idea Of the c reation i s c learly c on c ep tu alized ;
,
and it is thei r c osmog oni c myths with the idea o f a d efinite ,
and s i n g le c reator wh i c h form their most u niqu e c ontribution
,
to A meri c an I ndi an lore The c reator i s sometimes an i mal
.
,
sometimes m anl ike in form but he is u su ally re p resented a s
, ,
d i g nified and b e n efi c e nt and there i s an Obviou s tenden c y t o
,
humanize hi s c h ara c ter .
Northern C alifornia and O reg on however know les s Of su c h , ,
a sin g le c reator I n this se c tion stories O f the beg innin g s sta rt
.
with the Ag e Of A nimals o r rather Of anthro p i c bein g s who
,
o n the c omin g Of man were transformed into animals whose —
doin g s se t the p r i meval model after whi c h human deed s and
i nstitutions are C op ied H ere i s a c y c le as similated to the
.
myth Of the North-West j u st a s the lore Of the south C ali
,
fo rn ian tribes a p p roa c hes the typ e O f the p lateau a nd desert
reg ion .
P L A T E XX V I I I
Ma id u i mag e fo r a woma n u s ed at t he B urning
,
C e re mo ny in ho nou r o f t he d e ad ( see p
.
A ft e r B J M x v ii Pl at e X L IX
,
.
P L A T E XX I X
Ma idu i mag e fo r a m an, u s ed at t he B u rn i ng C e re
mo ny in ho nou r o f t he d e ad Afte r B AM x v u
.
,
Pl at e X L VI I I
.
THE PACI F I C COA ST , WE ST 2 17
III . THE C REATO R 15
I n the c on g eries Of West-C oast p eo p les it is inev i table that
there shou ld be d iversity in the c on c e p tion Of c reation and
c reator even in the resen c e o f a g eneral and family likenes s
, p .
B ut the d i ff eren c es in the main follow g eo g ra p hi c al lines TO .
the south while c reation i s definitely c on c eived a s a p rimal
,
a ct,
the c reative bein g s a re o f animal o r Of bird form for the ,
win g ed demiu rg e is C hara c teristi c Of the Pa c ifi c Coast throu g h
o u t i t s len g th I n the c entral re g ion Of C aliforni a and O re g on
48
.
the c reator i s ima g ed in anthro p omorp hi c as p e c t the animal s ,
bein g as sistants o r c lumsy Obstru c tionists in his work To the .
north and alon g the c oast the leg end Of c reation fades into a
, ,
d elineation Of the Fi rst Peo p le whose deed s set a p attern for ,
mankind .
Tribes Of the southerly sto c ks very g enerally believed i n
p r i mordial waters the waters Of the c haos before E arth o r Of
,
the flood envelo p in g i t A bove thi s c ertai n bein g s dwell
. the
C oyote and the bird s I n some vers ion s they o c c u p y a mou n
.
tain p ea k that p ier c es the waves and o n this hei g ht they abide ,
u n t il the flood sub sides ; i n others they float o n a raft o r rest ,
u p on a p ole o r a tree that rises above the waters I n the l atter .
c ase ,
the b i rd s dive fo r soil from whi c h to bu il d the ear t h ; it
i s t he Du c k that su c c eeds floatin g to the su rfa c e dead but , ,
with a bit o f soil in i t s bill 49
li ke the Mu s krat in the east
ern Ameri c an delu g e-tales The E a g le the H awk the C row .
, , ,
and the Hu mmin g B ird are the win g ed fol k who fi g u re c hiefly
-
i n these stories with the Ea g le in the more kin g ly r é le; but
,
it i s Coyote thou g h he i s sometimes ab sent his p la c e bein g ,
taken by bird s who is the c reator and s ha p er and ma g i c
—
p lotter Of the way Of life .
I n the re g ion northward from the l atitu de Of San Fran c is c o
amon g the Maidu Po rno Wintu n Y ana and nei g hbou rin g
, , , ,
t r i bes the C oyote -Man while still an im p ortant demiu rg i c
,
be i n g s i nks to a se c onda ry p la c e ; h i s deeds thwart rathe r
,
2 18 N O RTH AME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
than hel p the be ne fi c e nt intentions o f the c reator toil p ain , , ,
“
and dea t h bein g due to his interferen c e I was the Oldest in .
”
t he O lden time and if a p erson die he mu st be dead s ays
, ,
C oyo t e to Earth Maker in a Mai du myth re p orted by Dixon
- 16
, .
The first ac t Of this Maidu c reation already im p lies the c overt
anta g onism :
“
When this world was filled with water E arth -Maker fl o ate d ,
u p on i t ke p t floatin g about Nowhere i n the wo rl d c ou l d he
,
.
s ee even a tiny bit Of ea rth NO p erson o f any kind flew ab o ut
. .
He went abou t in thi s world the world itself bein g invisible , ,
trans p a rent like the s k y He wa s troub led I wonder how I
. .
‘
,
wonder where I wonder in what p l a c e i n wh at c ou ntry we
, ,
’ ‘
s hall find a world ! he s aid Y o u are a very stron g m an to .
,
’ ‘
be thinkin g Of thi s world s ai d Coyote I am g u essin g in
,
.
what di re c t ion the world is then to that d istant l an d let u s ,
”
’
float ! s aid E arth -Maker Th e two float abou t seekin g the
.
“ ” “
ea rth and sin g in g son g s : Where O world a rt thou P Where , ,
! ” “
a re yo u my g reat mou ntains my world mou ntains
,
As ,
’
they floated alon g they s aw somethin g like a bird s nest
'
.
,
’ ‘
‘
Well that is ve ry sm all s aid Earth-Maker I t i s small I f
,
. .
’
it were la rg er I c ou ld fix it B ut it i s too small he s aid . I ,
.
‘
wonder how I c an stret c h it a little ! He extended a ro p e ’
to the east to the south he extended a rop e to the west to
, , ,
the northwest and to the north he extended ro p es When all
, .
‘
were stret c hed he said Well sin g yo u who were the finder
, , , ,
“
Of this ea rth this mu d ! I n the lon g long ago R ob in —Man
, , ,
”
m ade the world stu c k ea rth to g ether m akin g this world
, ,
.
Thu s mo rtal men shall s ay o f you in myth-tellin g Then ,
.
’
R ob in san g and his world—ma kin g son g sou nded sweet A f t er
, .
the ro p es were all stret c hed he kep t singin g ; then after a time , , ,
he c eased Then E a rth -Ma ker s p oke to C oyote also DO
‘
. .
’
y o u sin g too he said SO he san g sin g in g My world where
‘
.
, , , ,
o n e t ravel s by the valley-ed g e ; my world o f many fo y
gg
moun t ains ; my world where o ne g o es zi g za gg in g hither an d
’ ‘
thither ; ran g e after range he s aid I s ing Of the c ou ntry I , ,
2 20 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
’
ye shall have them A nd he san g and kep t o n sin g i n g u ntil he
.
,
‘ ’
c eased sin g in g Y e mortal men s hall have this son g he s aid
.
, ,
and then he s an g another ; and s in g in g many d i ff erent son g s ,
he wal ked alon g kep t wal kin g u ntil he rea c hed the midd le
,
Of the world ; and there sitt i n g down over a c ross from it he
, ,
”
remained .
I n another myth o f the Maidu E arth-Maker des c end s from ,
heaven by a feather rop e to a raft u p on wh i c h Tu r t le and a
sor c erer a re afloat E arth-Maker c reates the world from mu d
.
b rou g ht u p by the Tu rtle who d ives for i t and C oyote issues
, ,
from the U nderworld to introdu c e toil and death amon g men .
The Maidu E arth-Maker has c lose p a rallel s amon g nei g h
b o u ring tribes p erha p s the most exalted bein g O le lb is o f the
6
, ,
“
Wintu n : The first th at we know of O le lb is is that he was i n
O le lp ant i Whether he lived i n another p la c e i s not known
.
,
b ut in the beg innin g he wa s in O le lp a nt i (o n the u p p er s ide ) ,
” ’
t he hi g hest p la c e Thu s beg ins C u rt in s rendering o f the myth
.
o f c reation The c om p anions o f O le lb is in this heaven -worl d
.
c om p letin g the triad whi c h so Often re c u rs in C alifornia n
c osmo g onies are two Old women with whose aid he bu ild s ,
a wonderfu l sweat-hou se in the s k y : its p illa rs a re s ix g reat
oaks ; its roof is thei r i ntertwinin g b ran c hes from whi c h fall ,
endless a c orns ; it is bou nd above with beautifu l flowers and ,
i ts fou r walls a re s c reens of flowers woven by the t wo women ;
“
al l kinds Of flowers that are in the world now were gathered
a rou nd the foot Of that sweat-hou se a n enorm ou s ban k o f ,
them ; every beautifu l c olor and every sweet Odor in the worl d
” 42
w a s there . The sweat-hou se g rew u ntil i t be c ame wonder
ful in size and s p lendou r the l argest and most beautifu l thin g
,
i n the world p l a c ed there to last forever
, p erha p s the most
c harm i n g ly p i c tu red Parad i se in I ndian myth .
O ther c reators in the myths Of this region a re Ta ik o m o l
, , ,
He-Who-Goes A lone o f the Y u ki ; Y im a nt u winy ai O ld-O ne
-
, ,
A c ross the O c ean O f the Hu p a ; K m u k am t ch O ld Man o f
- -
,
’
, ,
the Klamath tri c ky rather than ed ifyin g in c hara c ter ; and the
,
THE P ACI F I C COA S T, WE ST 22 1
Wisho s k Maker G u dat rig a k wit l O ld Man —A bove who p e r
,
-
,
“
forms his c reative work by j oinin g his h and s and s p readin g
”
them o u t . A mon g these t he Hu p a c reator seems not to have
“
exis t ed forever : I t was at Tc o xo lt cwe din he c ame into bein g .
From t he ea r t h behind t he inner hou se wall he s p ran g into
exis t en c e There was a rin g in g noise like the stri kin g tog ether
.
Of metals at his birth B efore his c omin g smoke h ad settled on
.
the mou n t ain s ide R ot t en p ie c es o f wood thrown u p by
.
someone fell into hi s hands Where they fell there was fi re
. .
This su rely im p lies a vol c ani c bi rth of the u niverse natu ral ,
enou g h in a land w here ear t hqu akes are c ommon and vol c anoes
no t ex t in c t Somethin g O f the s ame su gg estion is c onveyed by
.
a my t h o f the nei g hbou rin g C oos I ndians in whi c h the world ,
i s c reated by two b rothers o n a fou ndation of p ie c es o f soot
c ast u p on the wa t ers I n this Ku s an myth the third p erson
44
.
o f the re c u rrent C alifornian triad is a med i c ine man with a -
red p ainted fa c e whom the b rothers sl ay s p illin g his blood in
-
, ,
all dire c tions an e p isode remin i s c ent o f the 7 613 o f C oyote in
the Maidu g enesis When the worl d is c om p leted the b rothers
.
,
s hoot a rrows u p ward towa rd the heavens ea c h su cc ess ive bolt ,
stri kin g i nto the s haft Of the o n e above an d thu s they bu il d,
a l adder by means Of whi c h they as c en d into the s k y .
IV . CATA CLY S MS 49
Th e notion f
ata c lysmi c destru c tion s o f the world by flood
o c
o r fi re Often with a c on c omitant fallin g o f the s ky i s frequent
, ,
i n West-Coast myth I ndeed many o f the c reation-stories
.
,
s eem to b e i n fa ct tradit i ons o f the re—formin g of the ear t h
, ,
after the g reat a nnihilation althou g h in some myths both the
,
.
c reation and the re —c reation are des c ribed O ne Of the most .
"
i nteres t in g is the g enesis le g end Of the Kato an Atha p as c an
-
,
tribe C losely asso c i ated with the Pomo who are Of K u la n ap a nl
,
sto c k.
The story be g in s with the ma kin g Of a new sk y t o rep l a c e ,
‘
2 22 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
the Old o ne whi c h is soon to fal l
,
The s andstone ro c k wh i c h .
formed the s k y wa s Old they s ay I t thu ndered in the east ; it
,
.
thundered in t he south ; it thu ndered in the west ; it thu ndered
’
in t he north The ro c k is Old we will fix it he s aid There
.
‘
, ,
.
were two N ag a it c ho and Thu nder We will stret c h it above
,
.
‘
far to the ea st o ne o f them s aid They stret c hed it
,
’ 62
They . .
”
walked on the s k y SO the tale beg ins N ag a it c ho the Great
. .
,
Traveller and Thu nder then p ro c eed to c on stru c t an outer
,
c osmos Of the u su al C alifornian ty p e : a heaven su p orted by
p
p illars with
,
O p enin g s at ea c h Of the c ard inal p oints for wind s
and c lou d s and mist and with winter and su mmer trails fo r
,
t he su n s c ou rs e They c reated a man and a woman p re su m
’
.
,
ably to be c ome the p ro g enitors Of the next world -g eneration .
“
Then u p on the earth that was they c au sed rain to fall : Every
d ay it rained every ni g ht it rained All the p eop le slep t The
,
. .
s k y fell The land was not F o r a very g reat d istan c e there wa s
. .
no land The waters Of the o c ean s c ame t og ether A nimals Of
. .
all kinds d rowned Where the water went there were no trees
. .
There was no l and Water c ame they say The waters ,
.
c om p letely j oined everywhere There was no land o r mou ntain s
.
o r ro c ks but only water
,
Trees and g rass were no t There were
. .
no fish o r l and anim als o r b irds Human b ein g s and animal s
, ,
.
alike h ad been washed away The win d did not then blow .
th rou g h the p ortals Of the world no r wa s there snow nor , ,
frost nor rain I t d id not thu nder nor did it li g hten Sin c e
,
. .
there were no trees to b e stru c k it d id not thu nder There ,
.
were neither c lou ds no r fo g nor wa s there a su n I t was very ,
.
d ark . Then it was that this earth with its g reat lon g ,
horns g o t u p and walked down this way from the north A s i t .
wal ked alon g t hrou g h the deep p l a c es the water rose to its
shou lders When it c ame u p into shallower p la c es i t looked
.
,
up . There i s a rid g e in the north u p on whi c h the waves b reak .
When i t c ame to the middle Of the world in the east u nder the ,
rising Of the su n it looked u p a g ain There where it looked u p
,
.
will be a larg e l and near to the c oast F ar away to the south i t .
224 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
eve rythin g Mem Lo im is started and with her K ahit Water
.
,
.
ru shed in throu g h the O p en p la c e m ade by Lu t c hi when he
raised the s k y I t ru shed in li ke a c rowd o f rivers c overed the
.
,
earth and p u t o u t the fi re as i t rolled o n toward the south
,
.
There was so mu c h water outside that c ou ld not c ome throu g h
that it rose to the t o p O f the s ky and ru shed o n toward O le l
p anti. Mem L o im is went forward and water rose mou n ,
tains hi g h Follow i n g C losely after Mem Lo im is c ame K a hit
. .
He h ad a whistle in his mouth ; a s he moved forwa rd he blew
it with all his mi g ht and made a terrible noise The whistle
,
.
was his o wn ; he had h ad it always He c ame flyin g and b low .
ing ; he looked like an enormou s bat with win g s s p read A s .
he flew south toward the other s ide Of the sk y his two c heek ,
feathers g rew strai g ht o u t be c ame i mmens ely lon g waved u p
, ,
a nd down g rew till they c ou ld tou c h the s k y o n both sides
,
.
Finally the fi re was qu en c hed an d at the requ est o f O le lb is
, ,
K ahit d rove Mem Lo im is the Waters b a c k to her u nderworl d
, ,
home while beneath O le lp a nt i there was now nothin g but n aked
,
ro c ks with a sin g le p ool left by the re c ed in g waters The my t h
,
.
g oe s o n to tell o f the refashionin g and refu rnishin g o f the worl d
by O le lb is ass isted by su c h o f the su rvivors Of the c ata c lysm
,
Of fi re and flood as had mana g ed to es c a p e to O le lp a nt i A .
net is s p read over the sk y and through it soil b rou g ht from
, ,
b eyo nd the c onfines Of the s ky-c a p p ed world is sifted down to ,
c over the bou lders O le lbis m arks o u t the rivers and water i s
.
,
d rawn to fill them from the sin g le lakelet that remains Fire .
,
now s ad ly n ee d ed in the world is stolen from the lod g e Of Fire
,
D rill and B u c keye B u s h the p a rents of flame
—
without —
their d is c overin g the los s ( an u nu su al tu rn in the tale o f the
theft o f fi re) The earth is fertilized by O l d Man Ac orn and
.
by seed d ro p p in g down from the flower lod g e Of O le lb is in
the s kies Many anim als s p rin g into bein g from the feathers
.
a n d bits o f the body o f Wo k wu k a large and beautifu l bi rd
, ,
with very red eyes ; while numerou s Others a re the resu lt o f the
transformations wrou g ht by O le lbis who now metamorp hoses ,
THE PACI F I C COA ST, WE ST 225
the su rvivors of the fi rst worl d i nto the animal s and Obj e c ts
41
whose natu re they h ad in reality always p os sessed A p ar .
t ic u l a rly c h armin g e p isode tells Of the s narin g o f the c loud s .
These h ad s p run g in t o bein g when the wa t ers Of the flood stru c k
the fi res Of the c o n fl ag rat io n and they were seekin g ever to
,
es c a p e b a c k t o t he nor t h when c e K a hit and Mem Lo im is ha d
,
c ome . Th ree o f them a bl a c k a white and a red o n e are c a p
, , , ,
t u re d ; the s kin Of the red c lou d is ke p t by the hu nters w ho ,
of t en h an g it u p in the west thou g h sometimes in the east ;
,
the bl a c k and the wh ite skins are g iven t o the G randmothers
“ ” “
o f O le lb is .Now s aid the two Old women we have t his
, ,
whi t e s kin and t his b l a c k o n e When we h an g the white s kin
.
o uts ide t his hou se wh i t e C lou d s will g o from it
,
will g O ,
-
away down south where its p eo p le be g an to l ive and then they
, ,
will c ome from the south and travel nor t h to b rin g rain .
When they c ome b a c k we will h an g o u t the b la c k S kin and
, ,
from it a great m any b l a c k rain c lou d s will g o o u t and from ,
”
these c lou d s heavy rain will fall o n all the world below .
The Pa c ifi c Coast is a l an d Of t wo season s the wet a nd the ,
d ry and these tw i n p eriod s c ou l d s c ar c ely b e more beaut i fully
,
39
s ymbolized .
V . THE F I RS T PEO PLE 40
A l i ttle refle c t i on u p on the op erations Of anim i st i c i m a g ina
t ion wil l g o far to ex p la i n the c on c e p tion o f a First Peo p le ,
m anli ke i n form but animal o r p l ant o r stone o r element in
,
n atu re whi c h is nowhere in A meri c a more c lea rly defined th an
,
o n the West C oast
3
The l an g u a g es o f p r i mitive fol k a re bu ilt
.
u p O f c on c rete terms ; ab stra c t and g eneral n ames a re nea rly
u n known ; an d hen c e their thou g ht is meta p hori c al in c ast and
p ro c edu re N o. w the nearest and most intelli g ible Of meta
p ho rs are those whi c h a re based u p on the forms and traits Of
’
m en s o wn bodies and m ind s : wh atever c a n be made familiar
i n term s o f hu man in stin c t and h abit and desi re is tru ly
f amiliar ,
Man is the measu re o f all things and p r i mit i ve ,
226 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
my t hi c meta p hor is the elemen t ary form Of a p p lyin g this stand
ard At firs t i t i s t he a c t ivi t ies rather than the form s Of thin g s
.
t ha t a re rendered in terms Of hu man n atu re ; fo r it i s alway s
the a c tivi t ies the p owers Of thin g s th at are im p ortant i n
, ,
ra c t i c al life ; the outward the aestheti c C ast o f ex p erien ce
p
~
, ,
be c omes si g nifi c ant only a s p eo p le advan c e from a l i fe o f
need to a life Of thought and refle c tion Hen c e at fi rst .
, ,
mythop oeti c fan c y is c ontent to as c rib e hu man a c tion an d
intention human s p ee c h and des ires to environin g c reation ;
, ,
the p hysi c al form is o f small c onsequen c e in ex p l ainin g t h e
c ondu c t o f the world for p hys i c al form i s Of all thin g s t he
,
most i n c onstant to the animisti c m i nd and it i s invariab ly ,
held su s p e c t as if i t were a g u ise o r ru se fo r the delu din g o f t he
,
human ra c e B ut there c omes a p eriod o f thou g ht when anth ro
.
o m o r hism a n aestheti c hu manizin Of the world i s a s
p p g
es senti al to mental c omfort and to the s ense o f the int e llig i
b ilit y Of natu re as is the earlier and more na i ve p sy c ho m o r
p hi sm : when the p h antasms a s well a s the instin
, c ts an d
p owers o f the world c all fo r ex p l anation
,
.
Su c h a demand in its in c i p ien c y is met by t he c on c e p tio n
, ,
o f the First Peo p le This is a p rimeval ra c e not only reg a rded
.
,
a s hu man in c ondu c t but ima g ined a s m anlike in form They
,
.
belon g t o that u n c ertain p ast when all life and all natu re were
not yet aware o f their final goal a p eriod o f fo rm ation an d
transformation o f c onfli c t duel strife Of p sy c hi c al and p hysi
, , , ,
c a l mon strosities before the ood and the b ad had been c learly
g,
“
se p arated . A s the heart i s 8 0 sh all ye be i s the formu la eve r
, ,
’
i n the myth-maker s h alf u n c on s c i ou s thou g ht and t he whol e ,
p ro c es s Of settin g the earth in order seems to c onsist Of t h e
’
stru g g le after a p p ro p ri ate form o n the p art o f the world s
p r i mitive for c es
46
.
West-Coast lore is i n g reat p art c om p osed Of tales Of t he
First Peo p le and it i s instru c tive that the stories and even t s
,
i n t his mytholo g y a re far more c onstant than are the p ersonali
ties o f the p arti c i p ants This h arks b a c k to the p rime i m p or
.
228 N O RTH A ME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
whose red head -feathers were u sed as money amon g the C ali
fo rn ia n t ribes the
,
H ummin g
-B ird and indeed most other bi rd
, s
kno w n t o t hem fi g u re in the myth s Of the reg ion No r a re
,
.
smaller c reatu res the L ou se the Fly and the Worm
, , to o
insi g nifi c ant for the m aker Of traditions .
All o f these bein g s in the ag e Of the F i rst Peo p le were
, ,
human i n form ; the p resent order Of existen c e be g an w i th thei r
transform at i on i nto the b i rd s and animals we now know I n .
West-Coast myth this metamorp hosis often follows dire ctl y
,
u p on the c ata c lysm o f fi re o r flood by whi c h the First Worl d
was destroyed thu s givin g the t wo p er i od s a d istin c tnes s Of
,
se p aration not c ommon in I ndian thou g ht I n many vers i on s .
the transformation is the work O f the world -sha p er C oyote
o r another as i n the myth o f O le lbis who a p p ort i on s to
,
ea c h c reatu re its p ro p er sha p e and home after the earth h as
been restored Even more frequently there i s a c ontest o f
.
some sort the out c ome o f whi c h i s that vi c tor and vanqu ished
,
a re alike transformed This m ay be a b attle Of wits as i n the
.
,
COO S story Of the C row whose voi c e wa s thu nder and whos e
eyes fl ashed l i g htnin g : a c ertain man-be i n g p ersu aded the
32
C row fi rst t o trade voi c es with him and then to sell the li g ht
,
min g s Of h is eyes fo r the food left by the ebb -tide whereu p on ,
the C row degenerated into wh at he now is a g lutton w i th a ,
rau cou s vo i c e while the m an be c ame the Thu nderer A g ain
,
.
,
the stru g gle m ay be Of the g amin g typ e : in a Miwok leg en d
Wek—we k the Fal con p arti c i p ated with a c ertain w i n g ed g iant
, , ,
Kelok in a c ontest at whi c h ea c h i n tu rn allowed himself to
,
be u sed a s a targ et for red -ho t stones hu rled by h i s O p p onent ;
throu g h over-co nfi d e n ce Wek-wek is slain but he i s restored to ,
life a g ain by C oyote who is shrewd enou g h t o beat the g iant
,
at his o wn g ame ; while from the body Of the slain mon ster i s
started t he c o nfl ag rat io n that destroys the world 38
I n a thi rd .
c ase the c ontest is o n e o f sor c ery : the story Of the L oon Woman
,
tells ho w she fel l i n love with the youn g est o f her ten b rothers
as they dan c ed in the sweat-lod g e ; by her ma g i c s he co m
THE PA CI F I C COA S T, WE ST 229
l d
p el e him to a c c om p any her but he es c a p ed a nd the b rothers
, , ,
wi t h the ai d o f thei r elder sister S p ider Woman a s c ended to , ,
heaven in a bas ket ; L oon Woman p er c eived them se t fi re to ,
t he sweat-hou se and all s ave the E a g le fel l b a c k into the fl ames ;
,
thei r bodies were bu rned and L oon Wom an made herself a ne c k
l a c e O f thei r hearts Nevertheless her trium p h wa s b rief for
.
, ,
the Ea g le su c c eeded in slayin g her and p la c in g her hea rt alon g ,
with those o f his b rothers in a sweat hou s e b rou g ht them all
-
,
b a c k t o l ife but with the forms an d d is p osition s wh i c h they
,
now p os sess 17
.
The c rea t ion O f the hum an ra c e 7°
m arks the C lose o f the ag e
Of t he Firs t Peop le U su ally the Worl d -Ma ker is also the sha p er
.
Of men an d i t is the West-Coa st mode to c on c eive the p ro c es s
,
qu ite me c hani c ally : men are fas hioned from ea rt h and g rass ,
o r a p p ea r a s the transformations o f sti c ks and feathers ; the
Kato story i s altog ether detailed telling ho w N ag a it c ho made ,
a tra c hea o f reed and p ou nded o c hre to mix with water an d
ma ke b lood A more di g nified c reation was that o f G u d at ri
.
g a k w it l the
, W i sho s k Ma ker who u sed no tool s but fo rmed
, ,
“
thin g s by s p readin g o u t his h and s When G u d at rig a k wit l .
’
wanted to m ake p eo p le he s aid I want fo g Then it be g an to
, ,
‘
.
be fo g g y G u d at rig a k wit l thou g ht : NO o n e will see it when
.
‘
the p eo p le a re born Then he thou g ht : Now I wish p eo p le to
.
’ ‘
b e all over b road c ast I want it to be full o f p eo p le and fu l l
,
.
Of game Then the fo g went away N O o ne had seen them
.
’
.
”
before but now they were there
,
Most im a g in ative o f all i s
.
the Modo c my t h re c orded by C u rtin Ku mu s h the man Of
,
.
,
’
the beautifu l b lu e whose life was t he su n s g olden dis k h ad a
, ,
d au g hter He m ade for her ten d res ses : the fi rst for a you n g
.
g irl the se c ond the matu rity raiment in whi c h a maiden
,
C lothes herself when she c eleb rates the c omin g o f womanhood ,
the third to the ninth festal and work g arments su c h a s women
wea r the tenth an d most beautiful Of all a bu rial sh rou d
, , ,
.
When the g i rl was within a few d ays o f m atu rity she entered ,
the sweat-hou se to d an c e ; there S he fell aslee p and d reamed
230 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
that some one was to die and when she c ame o u t she demanded
,
Of Kumu sh her bu rial d ress He O ffered her ea c h O f the others
.
in t u rn but she wou l d h ave only t his ; when she h ad donned i t
, ,
she died and her s p i rit se t o u t for the wes t the home of them
, ,
that had p as sed away Ku mu sh however wou l d not let her
.
, ,
“
g o alone and sayin , g I know all
,
t hin g s above below and in the , ,
”
world Of g hos t s ; wh atever is I know he a c c om p anied her , ,
down into the c avern s o f the dead There father and d au g hter .
dwelt by ni g ht d an c in g wi t h the s p irits whi c h be c ame S kele t on s
, ,
by d ay B ut Ku mu sh wea ried Of t his and determined to retu rn
.
,
to ear t h and restore life u p on it He took a b as ketfu l o f the .
bones and set out but they res isted and d u g shar p ly into hi s
,
body Twi c e he S li p p ed and fell b a c k but t he third time he
.
,
l anded in the worl d above and sowin g t here the bones Of the
,
hosts a new ra c e s p ran g u p from them the ra c e o f men who
g ,
h ave sin c e inhab ited the earth .
VI . F I RE AN D LI G HT 51
I n the beg innin g the Fi rst World was w i thout li g ht o r heat ;
bla c knes s and c old were everywhere o r if there were li g ht and ,
“
wa rmth they were d istant and ina cc es sible : the world was
,
d ark and there wa s no fi re ; the only li g ht w as the Mornin g ,
and it was so far away in the hi g h mou ntain s O f t he east that
”
the p eo p le c ou ld not see it ; they lived in total d arknes s
with thi s su g g estive ima g e Of valley life be g ins a Miwok tale
o f the theft Of Mornin g Sometimes it i s Mornin g o r D ay
.
li g ht th at is stolen sometimes it i s the Su n of t enes t it is Fire ;
, ,
but the es sen t i al p lot Of the story seldom va ries : o n the c o n
fines O f the world there is a lod g e in whi c h the L i g ht o r the Fire
i s g u a rded by j ealou s watc hmen from whom t heir treasu re ,
mu st be ta ken by c raft ; g enerally the theft is d is c overed and a ,
p u rsu it is sta rted but relays o f animals su cc eed in bea r i n g O ff
,
a fra g ment Of the treasu re .
C oyote i s the u su al p lotter and hero o f myth s O f fi re and li g ht .
232 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
whi c h su rrou nd her va g ina ( a va riant Of o n e Of t he most wide
s p read O f North Ameri c an my t h -in c iden t s ) O n hi s mo c c asin s .
h e c rosses a frozen lake and wi t h t he assis t an c e o f a fea t her
,
t he u niversal symbol o f life he ford s a d ee p river and p asses
the V alley o f Death b y O ld Ag e
- —- — — 8
A rrived at the hou se o f
.
Thu nder he avoid s p oisoned food b reaks a p i t c h -lo g for
, ,
fi rewood es c a p es a water mons t er that nearly d rowns him
, ,
and S lays a g rizzly bea r whi c h p u rsu es h im when on a deer ,
hu nt by shootin g it in the left hind foot its only vu lnerable
, ,
s p ot These l abou rs p erformed the North Ameri c an Herc u les
.
,
takes the d au g hter Of Thu nder to wife and retu rns to hi s ,
home .
Th i s is o ne Of the many hero tales in whi c h the West-Coas t
mytholog y i s ri c h The red hot mo c c asin s su gg est the p ersoni
.
-
fi c at io n o f vol c ani c for c es so that the whole myth may wel l
,
be the story Of a vol c ano wedded to i t s li g htnin g s c leavin g
, ,
l ake and river and valley and overc omin g the mi g hty O f ea r t h
, .
A similar ori g in may be that Of the Miwok g iant Kelok hu rl ,
ing his red -hot ro c ks and settin g the world ab laze su rely a
vol c ani c Titan .
A nother ty p e o f hero i s the c hild Of the Su n 48
The Maidu .
sto ry Of the ex p loi t s o f the C onquerors born at o n e bi rth to ,
C lou d Man and a vi rg in i s strikin g ly like the South Western
,
—
tales o f the d ivine twins sons o f the Sun ; and a somewhat
,
simila r leg end i s n arrated by the Y u ki 44
The kin d Of hero .
“
more distin c tive Of the West Coast however i s D u g -from , ,
”
the-G rou n d I n the Hu p a re c ension a virg in forbidden by
.
,
her g randmother t o u p root two sto c ks ( the m and rake su p er
s t it io n) disobeys and d i g s u p a c hild
, ,
He g rows to manhood .
,
vi sits the sk y-world and finally j ou rneys to the hou se Of the
,
su n in the east where he p as ses l aboriou s tests and in the g ame
, ,
Of ho c key over c omes the immortals in c lu din g E arthqu ake an d ,
Thu nder Tu lc hu herris is the Wintun n ame for this hero ; he
.
i s d u g u p by an Ol d woman and when he emerg es a noise like
,
thunder is heard in the distant east the home Of the su n , .
THE PACI F I C COA ST , WE S T 233
C u rtin re g ards Tu lc hu he rris a s the li g htning born o f the fo g ,
whi c h is sues from t he ea rth after su n rise .
I n another story one o f the most p o p u lar o f C aliforn i an
,
tales the Grizzly B ear and the Doe were kind red and friends
,
52
,
livin g tog ether and feedin g in the s ame p astu re O ne d ay .
while afield t he B ear killed the Doe but her two Fawns d is ,
c overed the deed and be g u ilin g the mu rderes s into lettin them
, g
h ave her c u b for a p laymate they su ffo c ated it in a sweat
,
hou se Pu rsued b y the B ear they were c onveyed to heaven
.
,
by a hu g e roc k g rowin g u p ward beneath them ; and there t hey
fou nd t heir mot h er The story h a s many forms but the Fawn s
.
,
a re always asso c i ated with fi re Sometimes they tra p the .
mother bea r but u su ally they kill her by hu rlin g down red
,
hot ro c ks They them selves b e c ome t hu nders and it is in
.
,
stru c tive that the Doe after d rin kin g th e waters o f the
,
s k y-world ,
dies and des c ends to earth c lea rly S he i s th e
—
rain-c lou d and her Fawn s are the thu nders The leg end o f .
the heaven-g rowin g ro c k lifti n g twin s to the s kies o c c u rs
, ,
more th an on c e in C a lifornia most a p p rop riate su rely whe n
,
a p p lied to the g reat El C a p itan o f the Y osem i te 42
.
I t is p erha p s t o o easy to rea d natu ral isti c interp retation s
i nto p r imitive myth I n many instan c es the meanin g i s u n
.
mistakably ex p res sed and seem s never to b e lost a s in the ,
Promethean theft o f fi re ; but i n others an d the hero o f —
H er c u lean labou rs is a fair exam p le it is by no means c e r
tain tha t lon g and varied borrowin g h as not ob s c u red the
ori g inal in t en t ion V ol c ani c fi re li g htnin g and su nli g ht itself
.
, ,
seem to be the fi g u res su gg estin g the a dventu res ; but it may
well be th at for the abori g inal n arrators these meanings h ave
long sin c e vanished .
VI I . D EATH AND THE G HO S T-W O RLD
The sou r c e o f death no les s th an the ori g in o f life i s a ridd le
, ,
whi c h the mind o f man early endeavou rs to solve ; and in t he
234 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
New World as sometimes in t he O ld the event i s mad e t o
, ,
tu rn u p on a p rimal c hoi c e I n the N ew-World tales however
.
, ,
’
i t is no t the c reatu re s d isobe dien c e but d eliberate sele c tion ,
by one o f the p rimal bein g s that establishes the l aw The t y p .
i c al story is of a c onfl i c t o f desi g n : the A uthor o f L ife in
16
tend s t o c reate men u ndying but another bein g who is C oyote
, ,
far more often than any o t her j ealou s o f the new ra c e wishes , ,
m or t ality into the world and his wish p revails I n very m any
, .
versions nei t her rational nor e t hi c al p rin c i p le is c on c erned in
,
the C hoi c e ; it i s a resu lt o f c han c e ; but on the West C oast not
a few exam p les o f the leg end involve both reason and morals .
A s it i s told one o f the Fi rst Peo p le loses a c hild ; its resu rrec
,
“
tion is c ontem p lated ; bu t Coyote interferes s ayin g L et it re , ,
m ain dead ; the world will be over-p eop led ; there will be no
food ; nor wil l men p rize life rej oi c in g at the c omin g o f c hil
,
” “ ”
d ren and mou rnin g the dead SO be i t they res p ond for
.
, ,
’
C oyote s a rg ument seems g ood B ut hu man desires are not .
s atisfied by reason alone a s is shown in the g rimly i roni c al
,
’
c on c lu sion : C oyote s real motive i s not t he g ood o f the livin g ;
selfishness and j ealou sy p rom p t his s p e c iou s p lea ; now his o wn
so n dies and he be g s that the c hild be restored to life ; but
,
“ ” “
Nay nay i s the res p onse the l aw is established
, , ,
.
The most beautifu l myth o f this ty p e that has been re c orded
”
i s Cu rt in s Sed it and t he Two B rothers Hu s o f the Wintun
’
,
.
Sedit i s Coyote ; the b rothers H u s are buzzard s O le lb is .
,
about to c reate men send s the b rothers to earth to bu il d a
,
l adder Of stone from it to heaven ; half way u p are to be se t a
p ool fo r d rink and a p l a c e for rest ; at the summit shall be two
s p rin g s o n e for d rinkin g and the other fo r bathin g
,
internal
and external p u rifi c ation fo r these are to be that very Fou n
tain o f You t h whose ru mou r b rou g ht Pon c e de Lé on from S p ai n
to Florida When a man o r a woman g rows Old s ays O le lb is
.
, ,
let him or her c limb to O lelp ant i b a t he and d rin k and youth , ,
w i ll be restored B ut as the brothers bu ild C oyote the tem p ter , , ,
c omes s ayin g
,
I am wise ; let u s reason and he p i c tu res co n
,
2 36 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
loved ones de p a rt and over and a g ai n o cc u rs the story o f the
,
quest for the dead at times almost in the form o f O rp heu s and
,
Eu rydi c e Thu s the Y o k u t tell Of a hu sb and g rievin g beside
53
.
h is wife s g rave u ntil o n e ni g ht her s p irit rises and stand s
’
, , ,
beside him He follows her to the b rid g e that ar c hes the river
.
se p aratin g the land o f the livin g from t he realm o f them t h at
h ave p assed away and there wins c onsent from the g u ard ian s
,
o f the dead for her retu rn t o ear t h but he i s forbidden to slee p
,
o n t h e retu rn j ou rney ; nevertheles s slumber ove rt akes him
,
o n t h e t hird ni g ht and he wakes in the mornin g to find that
,
he lies beside a lo g The Modo c s t ory o f Kumu sh and hi s
.
d au g h t er and o f the c reation O f men from the bones o f the dead
i s su rely a kin to this u nitin g life an d death in one u nb roken
,
c hain . This c on c e p tion i s b rou g ht o u t even more c lea rly i n
a se c ond version Of the Y o k u t tale wherein the m an who has
,
visited the isle of the dead tell s how a s it fills the souls a re, ,
c rowded fo r t h to be c ome bird s and fi s h .
That the home o f those who have g one hen c e s hou l d lie
beyond the settin g su n is a p a rt o f that elemental p oetry by
whi c h man sees hi s life ima g ed and p ainted o n the whole fiel d
o f heaven and ea rth : the d is k o f mornin g is the symbol of
’
b irth noon is the fullnes s o f existen c e and evenin g s de c l ine is
, ,
the si g n o f death B ut dawn follows after the d arknes s w i th a
.
new b i rth for whi c h the dead that be de p arted do but wa i t
,
—
where better than in those Fo rtu nate I sles whi c h all men
whose homes h ave bordered o n the western se a h ave d reamed
to lie beyond its g leamin g horizon s !
C H A PT E R XI
T H E PA C I F I C C O A S T ,
N O RTH
I . PEO PLES O F THE N O RTH-W ES T C OA S T
R O M Pu g et Sou nd no rthward to the nei g hbou rhood o f
Mt St Elia s and the Co p p er R iver the c oast is c u t by
. .
innumerable fi o rd s and bays abutted by g la c iated mou ntains , ,
and bordered by an almos t c on t inuou s a r c hi p ela g o Th e rainy .
season i s lon g and the p re c i p ita t ion heavy o n this c oa st whi c h , ,
o n the lower levels i s densely forested c onifers formin g the
, ,
g rea t er p art o f the u p p er g rowth while the sh rubbery Of bu shes ,
fu rnishes a wealth o f berries The red c ed ar ( Thuj a p lica ta) .
is o f es p e c i al im p ortan c e to the n atives o f the c oast its wood ,
servin g for bu ildin g an d for the c a rvin g s fo r wh i c h these p eo p le
a re rem arkab le while it s ba rk is u sed fo r C lothin g ro p es and
, , ,
the l i ke Deer el k bea r the wolf the mou ntain g oat the
.
, , , , ,
beaver the mink and the otter inhabit the forest the hills
, , , ,
and the streams and are hu nted by the I ndians ; thou g h i t i s
,
c hiefly from the sea that the tribes o f this re g ion d raw thei r
food B esides mollus c s wh i c h the women g ather the waters
.
, ,
abou nd in edible fish : salmon and halibut for whi c h the c oast ,
i s famou s herrin g c a n dle fi sh from whi c h the natives d raw the
, , ,
o il whi c h is an im p ortant a rti c le o f the i r d iet and m a rine ,
m ammal s su c h as the seal se a-lion and whale The re g ion i s
, , ,
.
ad a p t ed to su p p ort a c onsiderable p o p u lat i on even u nder ,
abori g in al condition s o f life W hile at the s ame time its easy ,
i n t ernal commu ni c at i on by water and its relative in ac c es ,
s ib ilit y o n the c ontinental side en c ou rage a u niqu e and s p e c ial ,
c u ltu re .
Su c h indeed we find While no l es s than six l i ngu i st i c d ivi
, ,
.
238 N O RTH AME R I CAN MYTHOLO G Y
s ions a re found o n t he North -West Coast a cc om p an i ed by a ,
c orres p ondin g d iversi t y o f p hys i c al typ es the g eneral c u l ,
tu re o f t he reg ion is o ne and o f a c ast u nlike any t hin g el s e
,
o n the c on t inen t It s fou nd ation i s m aritime the I nd ians o f
.
,
t his re g ion bu ildin g larg e and sha p ely c anoes and some tribes , ,
su c h a s the Nootka and Qu ileute even atta c kin g the whale ,
i n t he o p en sea V illa g es a re bu ilt fa c in g the bea c h an d the
.
,
timber hou ses o cc u p ied by several families re p resent the hi g h
, ,
est a rc hi t e c tu ral skill o f any I nd ian stru c tu res n orth o f the
p ueblos T h .e wood -workin
g c raft i s nowhere in A meri c a more
develo p ed not only in the m atter Of wea p ons and utensils
, ,
but es p e c ially i n c a rvin g s Of whi c h the most famou s exam
,
p les are the totem p oles
61
- Of the northern tribes Work i n .
shell horn and stone is se c ond in qu al ity only to th at in wood
, , ,
while C o p p er has been extensively u sed even from abori g inal ,
times B asketry and the weavin g o f mats and bark-C loth a re
.
also n ative c rafts I n art the natives o f the North-West at
.
t ain e d a u niqu e ex c ellen c e their c arvin g s and d rawings show
,
ing a ty p e o f de c orative c onventionalizin g o f human and animal
fi g u res u nsu rp assed in A meri c a as i s also the S kill wi t h wh i c h
,
these elements a re c ombined The im p u l se Of this art is almost
.
wholly mythi c al and it find s its C h i ef ex p res sion in herald i c
,
p oles g
,
rave - osts
p and hou se
,
-walls in c eremonial mas ,
ks and
rattles an d in the re p resentation o f an c estral animals o n
,
c lothing and utensil s .
The so c ial stru c tu re o f the p eop les o f the North-West re
fle e ts thei r advan c ement in the c rafts The m aj ority o f the .
tribes a re organized into se p ts and c lans determinin g des c ent
and m arria g e rel ations I n the northern a rea des c ent i s c ounted
.
matrilinea rly in the southern by the p atrilinear ru le The
, .
Kwakiutl h ave an institution wh i c h seem s to mark a transi
tion between the two systems : des c ent follows the p aternal
line but ea c h ind ividu al i nherits the c rest o f his m aternal
,
g randfather I n some village grou p s p arents are at l iberty to
.
-
p la c e their c hild ren in e i ther the maternal o r the p aternal
240 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
sto c k o f the Queen C harlotte I sl and s and the southern p art
,
of Prin c e o f Wales I s land is formed of the Haid a tribes ; while
,
o n t he o p p osite mainland followin g the Nas s and S keena riv
,
ers far inland is the distri c t o f the Ts imshian and other C him
,
m e sy a n p eo p les South o f these beg i n the territories o f the
.
Wakashan sto c k whi c h exten d o n the m ainl and to Johnston
,
S t rai t and beyond over the whole western p art Of the is
, ,
land O f V an c ouver Powell d ivided this sto c k into the Abt
.
and Ha e lt z u k ( B ellabell a ) tribes but later authorities p refer ,
Kwa kiutl and Nootka the l atter hold in g the seaward S ide Of ,
V an c ouver The fifth g rou p c om p rises the C oast S alish : a
.
northern d ivision abou t D ean I nlet and the S almon and B ell a
,
C oola rivers adj oinin g the Wa kashan territories ; a c entral d i
,
vision extendin g from the head o f the Strai t Of Georg ia south
wa rd to C hinook l and s about the Columbia ; and a southern
g rou p holding the O re g on c oast south o f t he C hinook p eo p les .
A sin g le tr i be the Qu ileu t e about C a p e F lat t e ry in Wash
, ,
ing t o n re p resents the almost extin c t C h i maku an sto c k
,
In .
g eneral t he
,
c ultu re o f the T lin g i t and H aid a tribes show
an identity o f form whi c h d ist i n g u ishes them as a g rou p from
the l ike c ommu nity m anifested by the Tsimshian Kwakiutl , ,
Nootka and North-Coast S alish
,
.
II . TOTEMI S M AN D TOTEMI C S P I R I TS 3
The c eremonies o f the tribes o f the North -West fall into
two c lasses followin g their so c ial and c eremonial or g anization
,
.
The so c ial d ivis ion into c lans whi c h are m atrilinea r and exo ,
g ami c i n the north while p atrilinear o r
,
mixed systems p revail
in the south finds outward ex p res sion i n totemi c i nsignia an d
,
in c eremonial re p resentation s o f the my t h s narratin g the b e
g innin g s o f the se p ts These ori g ins a re as c ribed
. to an an c estor
who h as been initiated by a nimal -bein g s into their mysteries ,
o r d an c es thu s c onferrin u on him the owers Of the initiatin
, g p p g
c reatu res ; the an i m al s themselves a re not re arded as an c estral
g ,
P L A T E XX X
F ra m e o f Haida ho use w ith tote m-p o le . After
M/fM viii Pl ate XI
, .
THE P ACI F I C COA S T, N O RTH 24 1
nor a re the members o f the c lan a kin to the totemi c bein g ,
ex c e p t in so far a s they p osses s the p owers and p ra c tise the
ri t es obtained th rou g h the an c es t ral revela t ion The manner o f .
revel ation is p re c isely t hat in whi c h the I ndian every where in
Nor t h A meri c a a c qu i res his g u ard ian o r tutelary his p ersona l ,
to t em : in fast o r tran c e the man i s borne away by t he ani m al
b ein g taken p erha p s to t he lod g e o f it s kind and there g iven
, ,
a n ini t ia t ion whi c h he c arries ba c k t o his p eo p le The d is .
t in c t iv e fea t u re of the Nor t h -Western c u stom however is , ,
that a totem so a c qu i red may be transmitted by inheritan c e ,
’
s o t hat a man s linea g e may be denoted by su c h a series o f
c res t s a s a p p ears u p on the totem p ole C orres p ondin g ly the
— 61
.
,
nu mber and variety o f totemi c s p i rits be c ome redu c ed a ni ,
m al s o r my t hi c bein g s Of a limited an d c onventionalized g rou p
formin g a C l as s fixed by heredity Y et the in dividu al C hara c ter
.
o f the t o t em never qu ite dis a p p ea rs ; wha t is transm itted by
b i rth is the ri g ht to initiation in t o the a n c estral mysteries ;
without this c eremony the ind ividu al p osses ses neither the u se
o f th e c rest nor knowled g e Of its myth s an d son g s .
The anim al totem s o f the Tlin g it as g iven by B oas are
, ,
the R aven an d the Wolf ; o f the H aida the R aven and the ,
E a g le ; o f the Tsimshian R aven E a g le Wolf and Bea r ; o f
, , , ,
the Heiltsu k Kwakiu t l R aven E a g le and Killer Whale ; while
, , ,
t he Haisl a ( like t he Heiltsu k Kwa kiutl o f Wakashan sto c k )
h ave six totem s B eaver Ea g le Wolf S almon R aven an d
, , , , , ,
Killer Whale A mon g the remain in g tribes Of the reg ion
.
Nootka Kwak i utl and S alishan
, ,
family c rests ra t her than ,
C lan totems a re the marks o f so c ial d istin c tion ; but even in
,
the north where the totemi c c l an p revails c rests va ry amon g
, ,
the C lan families : t hu s the families o f the R aven c lan o f t he
,
S ti kine tribe o f the Tlin g it h ave no t only the R aven but also ,
the Fro g an d the B eaver a s heredita ry c rests
,
.
I n addition to a c qu isi t ion by marria g e and inheritan c e ,
ri g hts to a c rest may p as s from o ne family o r tribe to ano t her
th rou g h wa r ; for a wa rrior who S lays a foe is deemed t o have
24 2 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHO LO G Y
’
a c qui red t h e p rivile g es o f the slain man s totem ; if t his be o ne
’
forei g n t o the c onqueror s t ribe sl aves may be c alled u p on
,
t o g ive t h e p ro p er ini t iation whi c h is still es sen t ial Thu s th e
, .
ri g h t s t o c e rtain c rests p ass from C lan t o c l an and from tribe to
t ribe formin g the fou nda t ion for a kind o f i ntertribal relation
,
shi p o f p ersons ownin g li ke totems Wa rs were formerly wa g ed .
fo r the a c qu i sition o f d esi red totemi c ri g hts and more th an ,
o n ce ,
the le g end s tell b itter c onfli c ts h ave resu lted from t he
,
a p p rop riation o f a c rest by a m an who had no demonstrab le
ri g ht to it for no p rerog atives are more j ealou sly g u arded i n
,
the No rth-W est O nly p ersons o f wealth c ou ld a c qu ire th e
.
u se o f c rests for the initi ation mu st b e a c c om p anied by feast
,
i n g and g ift-g ivin g at the ex p ense o f the in itiate and his kin
d red O n the other hand the p os session o f c rests i s a m ark o f
.
,
so c ial im p o rtan c e ; hen c e they a re ea g erly sou g ht
,
.
Th e ori g in o f c rests was referred to mythi c an c estors The .
H aid a a re d ivided into E a g les and R avens The an c estres s o f .
the R aven C l an is Foam Wom an who rose from the se a and i s,
s aid to h ave h ad the p ower Of d rivin g b a c k all other su p er
n atu ral b ein g s wi t h the li g htnin g s Of her eyes ; Foam Wom an ,
l i ke D i ana o f the E p hesians had many b reasts at ea c h o f
, ,
whi c h she nou rished a g ran dmother o f a R aven family o f the
H aida Th e Oldest c rest o f this C lan is the Killer Whale whose
.
,
d orsal fin a cc ord in g to trad ition adorned t he b lanket o f o n e
, ,
o f t he d au g hters o f Foa m Wom an ; but they al so h ave for c rests
t he Grizzly Bear B lu e H awk Sea -L ion R ainbow Moon and
, , , , ,
o the r s p i rits and an i m als C u riou sly enou g h t he R aven c res t
.
,
a mon g t he H aid a does n o t belon to families o f the R aven c lan
g ,
but to E a g les whose an c estor i s s aid to have Obtained it
,
from the Tsimshian A ll the E agles tra c e thei r des c ent from
.
a n an c estres s c alled Greatest Mou ntain p rob ably denotin g a ,
m ainland ori g in o f this c l an but the E agle i s regarded as the
,
oldes t o f thei r c rests The an i mal s themselves a re not hel d to
.
be an c estors but only to have been c onne c ted in some s ig nifi
,
c ant fashion with the family o r c lan ro enitor thu s an E a g le
p g ; ,
244 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
from ea t in g the food whi c h t he demones s g ave her This anth ro .
o p h ag o u s mons t er dwells i n the woods and c arries a b as ket
p
in whi c h she p uts the C hild ren whom she s t eals to eat and She ,
also robs g raves ; but at l ast she i s slain by a s k y—boy t o whos e
ima g e refle c t ed in the water she makes love K o m o k o a the
, ,
.
,
R i c h O ne is the p rote c tor o f seal s and lives at the bottom
,
7
,
o f t he se a ; the d rowned go to him and stories are n a rrated
,
o f p ersons who have p enetrated to h is abode and afte rward
retu rned to give his c rest to thei r des c endants A frequent fo rm .
o f le g en d re c ou nts how hu nters harp oon a seal and are d ra g g ed
down with in c red ible velo c ity u ntil the home Of K o m o k o a i s
rea c hed ; there they a re initiated and re c eive c rests and ri c hes
,
with whi c h they g o b a c k to t heir kind red who h ave believed ,
them lon g sin c e dead The Thu nderb i rd d es c ribed a s a hu g e
.
32
,
c reatu re c arryin g a l ake o n its ba c k and fl ashin g li g htnin g s from
its eyes is also a c rest trad i tions tell in g o f C lan an c estors bein g
, ,
c arried away to it s h au nts and there initiated Whales a re s ai d .
to be its food and the bones o f c eta c eans devou red by it may
,
be seen u p on the mou ntains Monstrou s b ird s a re o f frequent
.
o cc u rren c e in the my t hs o f the No r t h—West a s in C aliforn ia , ,
many Of them seemin g to derive their c h ara c te risti c s from the
Thu nderbi rd while the l at t er is sometimes assert ed to resemble
,
ty p es o f the F a lco n ida e a s the hawk o r the ea g le
,
.
The wooden mas ks c arved and p ainted e m
, p loyed in the ,
initiation c eremonies c onne c ted with t he c l an to t ems a re the
ritu al re p resentations o f the C l an myth 65
Many o f thes e
.
m as ks a re doub le the inner and outer fa c es rep resen t in g two
,
mood s o r in c idents in the mythi c adventu re Frequently the .
outer is an animal the inner a human fa c e
,
a c u riou s ex
,
—
p ression o f the abori g inal belief in a m an -sou l u nderlyin
g the
animal exterior Masks are not regarded as idol s ; but that a
.
kind o f fetishisti c reveren c e atta c hes to wood -c a rvin g s o f su p er
n a t u ral bein g s in the North -West is S hown by the nu mber o f
“
myths tellin g of su c h fi g u res manifesting life The c a rvin g s o n
.
”
the hou se p osts win k their eyes is a Haid a s ayin g denotin g
,
THE PA CI F I C COA S T, N O RTH 24 5
ex c ellen c e in art an d more than o ne myth is adorned with
,
t ales o f hou ses in whi c h t he s c u l p tu red p illars o r the p ainted
p i c tu res are evidently alive while stories o f livin g p ersons
,
rooted t o the floor a p p arently h ave a s imilar ori g in The c a rv .
ing o f a wife o u t o f wood is a frequ ent theme and o c c as ionally
,
’
she l ike Galatea is v iv ifi e d ; when the hu sband s name i s
, ,
Si t tin g o n Ea rth we may su s p e c t th at here t o o we have a
- —
, , ,
my t h c onne c t ed wi t h t he hou se p ost I n c reation stories the
-
.
fi rs t hum an p air are sometimes re p resented as c arved from
wood by the dem iu rg e and then endowed with l ife althou g h ,
this may be a version o f t he C al ifornian leg end o f the c rea t ion
of men from s t i c ks modified by a p eop le with a n ative g eniu s
,
for wood c a rvin g 70
.
III . S EC RET S O CI ETI ES AN D THEI R TUTELAR I ES
O f even g reater c eremonial si g nifi c an c e than the p os ses sion
o f c rests is membershi p in the se c ret so c ie t ies o f the Nor t h
West Everywhere in North A meri c a as the C l an sys t em loos
.
,
ens in ri g idi t y the Medi c ine L od g e o r the E soteri c Fra t ernity
,
g rows in im p ortan c e I n it s i n
. c e p tion the medi c ine so c iety i s
s eldom u n related to the C l an org anization but i t b rea ks free
,
from thi s either in the form o f a c eremonial p riesthood a s ,
amon g the Pueblo o r i n th at o f a trib al o r inter-trib al reli g iou s
,
order as in the mystery so c ieties o f the Great Pl ain s A mon g
,
.
the p eop les o f t he Nor t h-West the fraternities h ave had a de
v e lO p m e n t o f their own A p p arently they ori g ina t ed with the
.
Kwa kiutl tribes amon g whom the so c i al org anization is either
,
a c om p romise o r a transitional s t a g e between the matrilinear
C lans o f the northwa rd sto c ks and t he p a t riar c hal family or
villa g e-g rou p s o f the sou t herly C oast Dwellers Membershi p
-
.
i n the se c ret so c i eties is in a sense de p endent u p on heredity,
fo r c ertain o f the tutel ary S p i rits o f t he so c ieties are su p p osed
to a p p ear only to members o f p a r t i c u lar C l ans o r families ; bu t
with thi s restri c tion the i nfluen c e of the c lan u p on so c i ety
24 6 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
membershi p ends Perha p s no sharp er ind i c ation O f the d i ff er
.
en c e c ould be g iven than the very g eneral c u stom o f c han g in g
t he names o f the so c iety members du rin g the season o f their ,
c eremonials ,
from their C lan names to the s p irit names g iven
2°
them a t t he time Of thei r initiation ; the family system tem
o ra rily yield s p la c e to a mysti c divis i on into g rou p s defined by
p
p a t ron s p iri t s ,
the g enn or g u ard ians o f the so c iet i es .
These s p irits a re d istin g u ished from the totems that ma rk
des c ent in that the l atter are not reg a rded a s g ivin g c ontinued
revel a t ions Of themselves : the totem a p p eared to the an c estor
and revealed his mystery whi c h then be c ame traditiona ry ;
,
the s p i rits o f the so c ie t ies m anifest themselves t o an d indeed ,
mu st take p ossession Of every initiate ; they still move amon g
,
men and the c eremonials in thei r honou r ta ke p l a c e in the
,
winter season when these su p ernatu ral bein g s are su p p osed to
,
be livin g i n asso c iation with thei r neop hy t es 39
The most .
famed and d readed Of the se c ret so c iety tutelaries i s the C anni
b al whose votaries p ra c tise c eremonial anthro p o p ha g y b itin g
, ,
the arms o f non-initiates ( in former times slaves were killed
and p ar t ly ea t en ) 19
C annibals are c ommon c h ara c ters in the
.
my t hs o f t he North-West as elsewhere ; but the C annibal o f
,
the so c iety is a p arti c u lar p ersona g e who is su p p osed to dwell
i n t he mou ntains with his servants the man -eatin g Grizzly ,
Bea r and the R aven who feed s u p on the eyes o f the p erson s
whom hi s master h a s devou red and who is a lon g-beaked bi rd
,
’
whi c h b reaks men s s ku lls and find s their b rain s a d aint y m o rse l .
The c u lt o f the C annib al p rob ab ly ori g inated amon g the Heil
tsu k Kwakiutl when c e it p as sed to nei g hbou rin g tribes in c o m
,
p ara t iv e ly re c ent times The Wa rrior o f the North is a se c on d
.
s p iri t his g ifts bein g p rowess in wa r and resistan c e to wound s
, ,
and disease Still others are the B ird-S p irit whi c h ma kes o n e
.
able to fly and the g hosts who bestow the p ower o f retu rnin g
,
t o life af t er bein g slain The D o g Ea t in g S p i rit whose votaries
.
-
,
kill and eat a do g as they d an c e is the ins p irer o f yet ano t her
,
so c ie t y wi t h a wide-s p read followin g The more p otent S p i rits
.
P L A T E XX X I
K wak i ut l ce er mo n i a l ma s k s Up pe r a n anc e stra l
.
,
o r tote m i c doub l e ma s k t he b ird ma s k re p r e s e nti n
, , g
t he tot e m b e i ng o p e n e d out to s how t he i nn e r m a n
fa c e d ma s k. L ow e r ma s k re p re s e nti ng t he Sis iut l
, ,
o r do u b l e -h e ad ed a n d ho rn e d s e r p e nt
. A ft e r M /YM
v iii Pl at e s X L IX L X
, , .
24 8 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
hid t hemselves ; not so the others When he p assed in throu g h .
’
t he doorway he made his sou nd Ap ap ap l A t the same t ime
, ,
‘
t he Walala s p irit made a noise outside A s he wen t around the .
fi re he held his fa c e tu rned u p ward I n his mouth too some .
, ,
thin g ( a whistle ) sou nded His eyes were tu rned over and .
s h o w ed the whites The c annibal initiate amon g the Kwakiu t l
“
i s c alled h am at sa and Boas h a s re c orded ( Rep o rt of the
Un ited Sta te; N a tio n a l Mu s eu m 1 8 9 5 p p 4 58 6 2) a number , ,
.
—
o f h a m a t s a son g s whi c h reveal the s p irit o f the so c iety and its
rites better than mere des c ri p tion The p oe t ry o f the North .
West tribes li ke their mythology seem s p ervaded with a s p irit
, ,
o f rank g luttony whi c h natu rally find s its most u nveiled ex
,
p ress ion in the c annibal son g s
F oo d w ill b e g ive n to m e food w ill b e g iven to m e b e c ause I o b
, ,
t a in e d th is m a g i c t re a su re .
I am s w allow ing food a live : I e a t living m e n .
I s w allow w e a l th ; I s wa llow th e w e a l th th at m y f a th er is g iving
away [in th e a c c om p an y ing Po t l at c h ] .
This is an o ld son g and ty p i c al A tou c h o f sensibility and a
,
.
g rimly ima g inative re p ression o f detail i s i n the followin g
No w I am g o ing to e a t .
My fa c e is g ha s t l y p a le .
I s ha ll e at wh a t is g i v en to me by B axb a k u alan u c h siwae .
B axb a k u ala n u c h siwae
is the Kwakiutl name for the C annibal
“
S p irit and the a p p ellation si g nifies the fi rst to eat man at the
,
mouth o f the river i e in the north the o c ean bein g co n
,
. .
, ,
c e iv e d as a river ru nnin g towa rd the a r c ti c re g ions I n some .
o f the son s the c osmi c si nifi c an c e o f the s irit is c learly se t
g g p
forth
You w ill b e kn ow n a ll over th e wo rl d ; you w ill b e know n a ll ove r th e
worl d as fa r a s th e e d g e of th e worl d y ou g rea t o n e wh o sa fel y
, ,
re turne d f rom th e s p i r i t s .
You w ill b e k now n a ll ove r th e worl d ; y ou w ill b e know n all ove r
th e worl d a s fa r as th e e d g e of th e worl d You w e n t t o B ax
,
.
b a k u a la n u c hsiwa e an d th ere y o u fi rs t a t e d rie d h u m an fl es h
,
.
THE PACI F I C COA ST, N O RTH 24 9
Y o u w e re led to h is c a nni b a l p ol e in th e p la c e of h on o r in h is house
, ,
a n d h is h o u se is o u r wo rl d .
You w e re le d to h is c a nni b a l p ole wh i c h is th e m ilky way of our
,
w o rl d
.
Y o u w e re le d to h is c a nni ba l p ole a t th e ri g ht-ha n d si d e of our wo r l d .
From the abode o f th e C annibal the Kwa kiutl say red , ,
“ ”
smoke a rises Some t imes the c annibal p ole is the rainbow
.
,
ra t her t han the Mil ky Way ; but the C annib al himself i s r e
g a rded a s l ivin g a t t he north end of the world ( as is the c ase
wi t h t he Ti t ani c bein g s of many P a c ifi c Coast myth s ) and it i s
-
,
qu i t e p os sible that he is ori g inally a war-g o d typ ified by the
A u rora Borealis A Tl in g i t belief hold s th at the sou l s o f all who
.
meet a violen t dea t h dwell in the heaven-world o f the north ,
ruled by Tahi t w ho de t ermines those th a t S hall fall in b attle
, ,
o f what s e x c hild ren shall be born and whe t her the mother
,
s hall d ie in C hild b ir t h 10
-
The Au rora is blood red when these
.
-
fi g htin g sou ls p rep a re for b at t le an d the Mil ky Way is a hu g e
,
tree-tru n k ( p ole) over whi c h they s p rin g b a c k and forth Boa s .
i s o f o p inion that the se c ret so c ieties ori g inated as warrior
fra t ern i t ies amon g t he Kwa kiutl whose t wo most famed tute
,
l a rie s are t he C annibal and Win al ag ilis the Warrior o f the ,
North E c stasy is su p p osed to follow the sl ayin g of a fo e ;
.
the killin g o f a S lave by the C annib al So c iety members is i n
a sense a c eleb ra t ion Of vi c tory sin c e t he sl ave i s war booty ;
,
and it is si g nifi c ant that in c ertain tribes the C annib als merely
hold i n thei r teeth the head s o f enemies taken i n war .
IV . THE W O RLD AN D ITS RULER S 11
’
The u su al p rimitive c on c e p tion o f the world s form p reva i ls
i n the North -West I t is flat and rou nd below and su rmou nted
.
above by a solid fi rm am e nt in the sh a p e o f an i nverted bowl A s .
the p eo p le o f this re g ion are Coast-Dwellers Ea rth is re g arded ,
as an island o r g rou p O f isl and s floatin g i n the c osm i c waters .
The Haid a h ave a c u riou s belief th at the s k y-vau lt r i ses an d
25 0 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
falls at re g ular intervals so that the C louds at times strike ,
a g ains t t he mou ntains makin g a noise whi c h the I ndians s ay
,
they c a n hea r The world above the fi rm am e nt is inhabited
.
,
and o ne Haid a my t h ( whi c h C losely resembles the Pueblo
c osmo g ony ) tells o f R aven es c a p in g from the risin g flood i n
,
t he earth below borin g his way throu g h the fi rm am e nt and
,
d is c overing five su c c essive storeys in t he worl d above ; a fi v e
row town is the more c hara c teristi c ally North -West co n ce p
tion g iven i n another version The B ella Coola believe that
,
.
there a re five worlds o ne above the other t wo bein g heaven
, ,
worlds two u nderworlds and o u r E arth the mid -world
, ,
an
a rran g ement whi c h i s o f si g nifi c an c e in thei r theolog y B elief .
i n an u nderworld and es p e c ially in u ndersea town s and c ou n
,
t ries i s u n i vers al in this re g ion ; while the northern tribes al l
,
re g ard the E a rth itself a s an c hored in its mob ile fou nd ation by
a kind o f A tlas a n ea rth -su stainin g Titan A ccordin g to the
,
.
H aida S a c,
red - O ne -Stand in g and -Movin
g as he is c alled i s the
-
, ,
E a rth-Su p p orter ; he himself rests u p on a c o p p er bo x wh i c h , ,
resumably i s c on c eived as a boat ; from h i s b reast r i ses the
p ,
Pillar Of the Heaven s extendin g to t he sky ; hi s movements are
,
the c au se o f ea rthqu a kes The Bell a Coola followin g a myth .
,
whi c h is c learly o f a South-Coast typ e also be l ieve in the Ea rth ,
Titan who i s not however beneath the world but sits in the
, , , ,
d istant east hold in g a stone ba r to whi c h the ea rth island i s
fastened by stone ro p es ; when he shifts h i s hold ea rthqu akes ,
o c c u r The Ts i mshian and Tlin g it d eem the E a rth -Su stainer
.
to be a woman The ea rth they say rests u p on a p illar in
.
, ,
c har g e o f thi s Titanes s O ld Woman U nde rneath ; and when
- - 7
,
the R aven tries to d rive her from the p illar ea rthqu ake follows ,
.
The su n moon stars and C lou ds are re g arded as material
, , ,
thin g s somet i mes as me c hani c ally c onne c ted with the fi rm a
,
—
ment ; sometimes as the dwellings o f c elestial c reatu res ; some
times as in the South West as m asks o f these bein g s
,
- 13
,
The .
wind s are p ersonified a cc ordin g to their p revailing d ire c tions ,
but there is l ittle tra c e in the North-West o f the fou r-s qu are
252 N O RT H AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
treasu re-wardens wit c hes transformers werefol k g hosts an d
, , , , ,
a mu l t i t ude Of gen ii lo co r u m to say nothing o f m a g i c all y
,
endowed animals bird s and fishes The Haida even h ave
, ,
.
“ ”
a double nomen c latu re for t he animal kinds ; a s Gina t e ig a
t hey a re c reatu res o f thei r s everal sorts and the p ro p er p rey ,
“ ”
o f t he hu nter ; as Sga ma quedas they are werefol k or man
bein g s c a p able o f as sistin g the hum an ra c e with thei r ma g i c
,
mi g h t 40
. The Haid a make another interestin g distin c tion b e
tween the world p owers c lass ifyin g them a s their o wn tribes
-
, ,
a re d ivided into R avens and E a g les ; and they also a rran g e
,
the rulin g p oten c ies in a sort Of hiera rc hy sky se a and l an d , , ,
havin g ea c h i t s su p erior an d subordinate p owers .
The g reatest o f these p oten c ies is a t rue d ivinity who i s ,
n amed Power o f the Shinin g Heavens and who in a p rayer
- - - - 6
, ,
“
re c orded by Swanton is t hu s add ressed : Power-O f-the Shin
,
-
ing -Heavens let there be p ea c e u p on me ; let not my hea rt be
,
”
sorry He is not however a dei t y o f p o p ula r s t ory althou g h
.
, , ,
a le g end i s told Of h is in c arna t ion Born Of a c o c kle-S hell whi c h
.
a m aiden du g from the bea c h he be c ame a mi g hty g etter of ,
“
food ; a p i c tu resqu e p ass a g e tells how he sat blu e b road an d ,
”
h i g h over the se a ; and at his final de p artu re for heaven he ,
“
s aid,
When the sk y looks like my fa c e as my father p ainted
i t there will be no wind ; in me ( i e in my days ) p eo p le wil l . .
,
” -o f the Shinin -Heavens who d e
g e t thei r food I t .is Power g
- —
termines those that are to die althou g h Wig it ano t her c elestial
, ,
deity who i s the s ame as the R aven i s the o ne who a p p ortion s
, ,
the len g th o f life of the new-born C hild a c c ordin g as he d raws ,
a lon g o r a s hort sti c k from the fa gg ot whi c h he kee p s for thi s
p u r p ose The
. Tsimshian have a c on c e p tion o f the s ky - od
g
s imilar to that Of the H aida thei r name fo r him bein g Laxha
,
.
The idea o f a Fate in the s ky-world de c idin g the life o f ,
men is c ommon t o t he no rthern tribes Tahit the Tlin g it
,
.
,
d ivinity o f thi s ty p e has al ready been mentioned ; and the
,
”
s ame g o d (Taxet the Hou se A bove ) is re cog nized by th e
,
H aida thou g h here he is the o ne who re c eives the soul s o f
,
THE P ACI F I C COA S T, N O RTH 253
those slain by v i olen c e rather than the determiner o f death
, .
The B ella C oola have an elaborate system o f Fates When .
Se nx c rea t es the new born c hild an as sistant deity g ives it its
-
,
individu al featu res while a bir t h g oddess ro c ks it in a p re
,
n a t al c radle ; and this is true a lso o f animals whose s ki ns an d
flesh are foreord ained for t he food and c lo t hin g o f man Death .
,
a c c ordin g to t he B ella Coola is p redestined by the deities who
,
ru le over t he winter solsti c e ( the season o f the g reat c e re
monies ) : two divinities stand at the end s o f a p lan k balan c ed ,
like a seesaw while the sou ls Of men and anim als a re c olle c t ed
,
about them ; and as the p lan k rises o r falls t he time o f the p as s ,
ing of t he soul s i s de c ided .
I t is amon g the B ella C oola that the hierar c hi c a r ran g ement
o f the world p owers has rea c hed a p p arently the mos t sys t em
-
, ,
a t i c an d c ons c iou s form o n t he North Pa c ifi c A s stated above .
,
this t ribe se p arates t he u niverse into five worlds o r storeys ,
two above and t wo below the ear t h I n the u p p er heaven r e .
“ ” “
s ides Q am a it s who is also c alled O u r Wom an and A fraid
7
,
”
O f-Nothin g . Th e hou se Of t his g oddes s is in the east o f t he
treeles s and wind s w e p t p rairie whi c h form s her dom ain an d
-
,
behin d her home i s the s alt-water p ond in whi c h she b athes
a nd whi c h form s the abode o f t he Sisiu t l I n t he be g i nn i n g o f .
the worl d she is said to h ave wa g ed wa r a g ainst t he mou n
tains who m ade t he world u ninh ab itable and t o h ave c o n
, ,
q uered them and redu c ed them in hei g ht Q a m a it s is re g arded .
a s a g reat warrior but she i s n o t addressed i n p rayer and her
, ,
rare visits to earth c au se S i c kness and death I n t he c en t re O f .
t he lower heaven stand s the mansion o f the g ods c alled the ,
H ou se Of Myths Se nx t he Su n is master o f this hou se the
.
13
, ,
“
S a c red O ne and O u r Father a re his e p ithets ; and it is to
him that the B ell a Cool a p ray and m ake o ff erin g s A lmost .
equ al in ran k to Se nx i s Alk u nt am who with t he su n p resided , , ,
’
over the c reation o f m an 70
Alk u nt am s mother is des c ribed
.
a s a C annibal who inserts her lon g s nout into the ears o f men
,
a n d su c ks o u t their b rains She seem s to b e a p ersonifi c ation
.
254 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
o fthe mosqu ito for in a my t h frequent throu g hout the North
,
Wes t t hese inse c ts s p rin g from t he ashes to whi c h the C annibal
i s redu c ed in the e ffort t o destroy her 37
V ariou s inferior g ods .
,
i n c ludin g the Fa t es and the ten deities p residin g over the g reat
c eremonies dwell in the Hou se o f My t hs ; at the rear o f i t are
,
t wo rooms in the first o f whi c h lives the C annibal org anizer o f
, ,
the C annibal So c iety and in the se c ond another e c stasy—g iv
,
in g g o d : these two a re the sons o f Se nx and Al k u nt a m In .
t e rce sso rs and Messen g ers Su n Gu ard ians and S ky Gu ardian s ,
( w hos e bu siness it is to feed the s k y c ontinu ally with fi rewood ) ,
the Flower Goddess and the C ed ar-B a rk Goddes s are other p e r
,
so n age s o f the B ella C ool a p antheon Fou r b rothers dwellers .
,
i n the Hou se o f Myths g ave man t he arts t ea c hin g him c arv
, ,
ing and p aintin g the makin g o f c anoes boxes and hou ses
, , , ,
fi shin g and hu ntin g
,
69
They are c ontinu ally en g a g ed i n c arv
.
ing and p aintin g and seem t o be analog ou s to the Master C a r
,
e n t e r wh o often a p p ears i n H aid a myths E arth in B ella
p ,
.
,
C oola lore is the home o f a mu ltitu de o f s p irits — c hie fl y
,
A nimal Elders and i n the o c ean are similar bein g s thou g h ,
there seems to be no p ower c orres p ondin g to the Haid a N e p
tu ne The-Greatest-O ne-in-the-Sea The t wo u nderworld s
,
.
’
have their o w n m iro n d Etre the u p p er o ne belon g in g to r eve ,
n a n t s p irits who are at liberty to retu rn to heaven when c e
, ,
they may be reborn o n ea rth ; and the lower bein g the abod e
o f those who die a se c ond death from whi c h there i s no re ,
lease .
18
V . THE SUN AN D THE MOON 13
The p l a c e o f sunrise a c c ord in g to the B ella Coola is g u arded
, ,
by the B ear o f Heaven a fier c e warrior ins p irer o f ma rtial
52
, ,
zeal in man ; and the p la c e o f su nset is marked by an enor
mou s p illar whi c h su p p orts the sk y The trail o f the Su n is a .
b rid g e a s w i de as the d istan c e between the winter and su mmer
solsti c es ; i n su mmer he wal ks o n the ri g ht-hand s ide o f the
“
b r i d g e i n w i nter o n the left ; the solsti c es are where the su n
,
256 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
li g ht a g ain a p p eared I t woul d seem from t his that c o p p er i s
.
asso c ia t ed with t he su n O ther my t hs t ell Of a hero who ma rries
.
a c o p p er woman whose home ,
an u nderworld o r u ndersea
mansion is also made o f c o p p er The c onnexion of the bones
.
o f th e dead with an abu ndan c e o f food and mineral weal t h
wou ld im p ly t ha t the hero o f this tale C hief Wealthy i s a , ,
kind o f Pluto O ne Of the most widely d is seminated o f North
.
Wes t ern leg ends in whi c h the R aven i s u su ally the p rin c i p a l
,
fi g u re tells o f a time when d arkness rei g ned th rou g hout the
,
world The su n o r d ayli g ht wa s ke p t im p risoned in a c hest
.
, , ,
u nder the j ealou s p ro t e c tion Of a C hief t ain The hero o f the .
story realizes t hat d ayli g ht c annot be obtained by for c e so he ,
’
en t ers the womb o f the c hieftain s d au g hter when s he c omes
t o t he s p rin g for water ; then c e he i s born an infant ins atia t e
,
u ntil he g ets p os session o f the p re c iou s box from whi c h the ,
li g ht i s freed A Salish version ma kes the Gull the g u ardian o f
.
’
t he c hest ; the R aven wishes a thorn into the Gull s foo t ; then
he demands li g ht to d raw the thorn ; and thu s d ay and li g ht
a re c rea t ed Still another tale ( whi c h seem s to be derived
.
from the South -West ) narrates how the R aven bored his way
throu g h the s k y o r p ersu aded the bein g s above to b rea k it
O p en thu s p ermitting su nli g ht to enter the world below
,
.
The ori g in o f fi re is sometimes a sso c iated with the su n a s i n
51
,
“ ”
a Salish a c c ou nt whi c h tells how men l ived a s in a d ream
without fi re u ntil the Sun t ook p i ty u p on them and g ave it to
them ; but in very m any North -Western myths the element i s
se c u red c u riou sly enou g h from the o c ean
, , p erha p s a remi
n isce n ce o f submarine vol c anoes Thu s another S al ish story
.
re c ou nts ho w the Beaver and the Wood p e c ker stole fi re from
the S almon and gave it to the g hosts ; the Mink c a p tu red the
head Of the g host-c hief and re c eived fire a s i ts ransom Possibly .
’
the salmon s red fles h may a c cou nt for i ts c onnex i on with the
igneou s element but the most p l au sible ex p lanation o f the fi re
,
as the g ift of the se a i s in the p o p u la r tale whi c h as c ribes its
theft to the sta g A n Old man ha d a d au g hter who owned a
-
.
P LA T E X XX I I
Ha i da r sts from tatu d e signs Up p er le ft t he
c e ,
.
, ,
Su n ; ri g ht Moo n a nd Moo n G irl
,
C entra l l e ft
.
, ,
Ea gl e ; ri ght Se a L i o n
, L ow e r l e ft Ra v e n ; rig ht
- .
, , ,
K ill e r W ha l e A ft er MAM viii Pl at e XXI
.
, .
THE PA CI F I C COA S T, N O RTH 57
wonderfu l bow and a rrow ; in the navel o f the o c ean a gi g an ,
t ic whirl p ool p ie c es O f wood su itable for kindlin g were c arried
,
a bout and when the d au g hter s hot her a rrows into this mael
,
s trom the wood wa s c ast ashore and her father lit a hu g e fi re ,
a nd be c ame i ts kee p er ; bu t the s t a g c on c ealin g b ark in hi s ,
h air en t ered by c raft lay down by t he fl ame as if to d ry him
, ,
s elf c au g ht the s p a rk and made O ff wi t h the treasu re
, , .
The Su n and t he Moon are sometimes des c ribed a s hu s
b and an d wife and t he Tlin g it s ay th at e c li p ses a re c au sed b y
,
“
the wife v i sitin g her hu sband A g ain they are the eyes o f .
,
”
h eaven and it is qu ite p os sible that the p rominen c e Of eyes
,
a n d eyelashes i n Nor t h Western myth is asso c iated p rim a rily
-
’
wi t h t hese heavenly bodies The Su n s rays are termed his.
eyel ashes ; o ne o f the s k y-bein g s re c og nized by t he H aid a i s
c alled Grea t Sh i n i n g H eaven and a ro w of little p eo p le is sai d
,
t o be su s p ended hea d do w n from his eyel ashes The Haida
, ,
.
,
Kwa kiutl and Tlin g it believe that they see in the moon fi g u re
,
a g irl with a bu c ket c a rried thither by the Moon ; and t he
,
Kwakiutl have also a le g end o f his des c ent to ea rth where ,
’
h e made a ra t tle and a medi c ine lod g e from an ea g le s bea k an d
j aw and with the p ower so won c rea t ed men who bu ilt him a
, ,
wonderfu l fou r-storeyed hou se to be his serva nts A n i nterest ,
.
i ng Ts imshian belief makes the Moon a kin d o f half way hou s e -
t o the heavens so t h at whoever wou l d enter the s ky-worl d
,
mu st p as s th rou g h the Home o f the Moon The Kee p er o f .
this abode i s Pes t ilen c e and wi t h him are fou r herm a p hrod ite
,
d wa rfs 64
When the ques t er a p p ears he mu st c ry out to the ,
”
Kee p er I wish to be made fai r and sou nd ; then the dwarfs
,
”
w ill c all C ome hither c ome hither !
,
I f he obeys them they
, ,
will kill him ; bu t if he p as ses o n he is s afe A c ertain hero
8
,
.
fou nd his way to the Moon s Hou se by the frequent mo de o f
’
the arrow l adder and wa s there made p u re and white as snow
,
.
F inally t he Kee p er sent him ba c k to the world with the c o m ,
“
m and : Harken what yo u s hall tea c h men when you retu rn
to E arth I rej oi c e to see men u p on the E a rth for otherw i se
.
,
258 N O RTH A ME R I CA N MYTHOLO G Y
there wou ld be no o ne t o p ray to me or to honor me I need and .
enj oy you r worshi p B ut when you u nderta ke to do evil I wil l
.
thwart yo u Man and wife shall be tru e to o ne another ; ye
.
shall p ray to me ; and ye s hall no t look u p on the Moon when
’
a t tendin g t o na t u re s needs I rej oi c e in you r smoke Y e s hal l
. .
no t S p end t he evenin g i n riotou s p lay When yo u u nder t ake
.
”
to do what I forbid I will deny yo u This revelation Of t h e
.
l aw i s a tru ly p rim i tive m i xtu re o f moral ity and tabu b ased ,
u p on the do u t der rel ationshi p o f g o d and man so su c c in c tly
“
ex p ressed i n a H aid a p rayer re c orded by Swanton : I g ive thi s
”
t o yo u fo r a whale ; g ive one to me C hief ,
.
VI . THE RA V EN C Y C LE 48
The most c hara c teristi c featu re Of the mytholog y o f th e
Nor t h -West is the c y c le o f le g end s o f whi c h the hero is th e
R aven —
t he Y e t l o f the Northern tribes L i ke Coyote i n .
the tales o f t he interior R aven is a transformer and a tri c ks t er
,
half demiu rg e h alf c lown ; and very m any o f the stories t h at
,
a re told o f C oyote rea p p ear almost u n c han g ed wi t h R aven a s
t heir hero ; he is in fa c t a littoral and insu lar sub stitute for
C oyote .
Nevertheles s he i s g iven a c hara cter o f his o wn L ike Coyote
,
.
,
he is g reedy selfish and trea c herou s but g luttony ra t her tha n
, , ,
l i c entiou snes s is h i s p revailin g vi c e He i s en g a g ed in an in
.
“ ”
s atiable food -quest : R aven never g o t full says a Tlin g it ,
“
teller be c au se he had eaten the bla c k s p ots O ff o f his own toes
,
.
He learned about this after havin g inqu ired everywhere fo r
some way o f b rin g in g su c h a state about Then he wandered .
”
throu g h all the world in sear c h o f thin g s to eat The j ou rneys .
o f R aven form the c hief subj e c t o f most o f the my t hs ; he trav
els from p la c e to p la c e meets animals o f every des c ri p tion an d
, ,
i n c on t ests o f wit u su ally su c c eed s in destroyin g and eatin g
them o r i n d r i vin g them o ff and se c u r i n g thei r stores o f food .
A s i s the c ase with C oyote he himself is o cc a sionally over
,
26 0 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YT HOLO G Y
Who Knows Everythin g that H a p p ens while O ld -Woman—Un
- - - -
,
d e rne at h was u nder the world R aven -at -the-Head -o f-Nas s .
h ad a sister who wa s the mo t her o f many c hild ren but they
, ,
all died youn g the reason a c c ordin g to the leg end bein g t he
, , ,
j ealou sy o f her b rother who d id not wish her to have any mal e
,
Offs p rin g A dvised by Heron who had al ready been c reated
.
, ,
s he c ir c u mvented his mali c iou s intent by swallow i n g a red
hot stone as a c onsequ en c e o f whi c h she g ave birth to Y e t l
, ,
the R aven who wa s a s hard as ro c k an d S O tou g h that
,
he c oul d not easily be killed N a s c a k iye t l ( R aven —at -the .
Head o f Nas s ) thereu p on made R aven the head man over t he
- —
world N asc a k iye t l a p p ea rs a s the true c reator in thi s myth
.
,
however for i t is he who b rou g ht mankind into existen c e
, .
He u ndertook to make p eo p le o u t o f a ro c k and a leaf at the
s ame time but the ro c k was slow an d the leaf qu i c k ; t here
,
fore hu man bein g s C ame from the lat t er Then the c reato r .
s howed a leaf to the new ra c e an d s aid Y ou se e this leaf ,
.
Y o u a re to be like i t When i t falls O ff t he b ran c h and rots
.
”
there is nothin g left o f i t An d so death c ame into the world
.
16
.
A strikin g Ts imshian myth tell s how a woman d ied in the
throes o f c hild-birth ; how her c hild lived i n her g rave nou r ,
ishe d by her body ; how he later as c ended to heaven by mean s ,
’ ’
o f Wood p e c ker s w i n g s and m arried the Su n s dau g hter ; and
,
how her C hild by h im was c ast down to ea rth and adop ted by
a C hieftain there but ab andoned be c au se the g luttonou s in
,
fant ate the tribe o u t Of p rovisions ; this c hil d wa s the R aven .
U su ally however the myth beg ins ab ru p tly with the wander
, ,
ing R aven The world is c overed w i th water and R aven i s
.
see kin g a restin g p l a c e From a b it Of flots am o r a ro c ky islet
-
.
u p on whi c h he ali g hts he c reates the ea rth His adventu res .
,
c reative in their c onsequ en c es rather than in intention follow ,
.
He steals t he d aylight and the su n moon and stars from a n , ,
Old man who kee p s them in c hests o r sa c ks and who seem s
’
to be a kind o f p ersonifi c ation o f p r i meval n i g ht R aven s ,
mode of theft bein g to allow himself to be swallowed by the
P L A TE XX X I I I
C h il kat b la n k et T he d e si gn is i nte rp reted a s a
.
K ill e r W ha l e mot i v e Abo ve t he l ow e r fri ng e are
.
two k ite s in p rofi l e Abo ve th e s e t he mouth a nd
.
te eth o f t he wha l e who s e n o st rils a re c ent ra l in th e
,
mouth T he wha l e s eye s are j u st abo v e t he fi g u re
.
’
,
b etw e e n th e m re p re s ent i ng wat e r from t he b l owho le ,
wh i c h is i nd i c at ed by t he c ent ra l huma n fa c e T he .
bod y o f t he wha le is d enot ed by t he u pp e r fac e t he ,
fi g u re s o n e ith e r sid e o f t he two fa c e s re p re s e nt i ng
fi n s T he u p p e r e ye s r e p re s ent t he l ob e s o f t he wha l e s
’
.
tail ; t he fi g u re b etw e e n th em t he do rs a l fi n Aft e r
,
.
M AM iii Pl ate XX VI I
,
.
THE PACI F I C COA ST, N O RTH 26 1
Old man s d au g hter from whom he is born a g ain He s t eal s
’
,
.
water from its g u ardian t he Pe t rel and c reates the rivers and
, ,
s t reams and he for c es the t ide kee p er to release the tides He
,
-
.
c a p tu res fi re from the se a and p u t s it in wood and stone for the
u s e o f m an He seizes and O p ens the C hest c ontainin g the fis h
.
tha t are to inhabit t he sea also c reatin g fish by c arvin g t hei r
,
ima g es i n wood and vivifyin g them ; o r he c arries o ff the S al
’
mon s d au g hter and throws her in t o the water where she b e ,
c omes the p arent Of the s almon kind
41
I n addition he enters .
the belly o f a g reat fish where he kindles a fi re but his ever
, ,
’
p resent g reed c au ses him to a t ta c k t he monster s heart thereby ,
killin g it ; he wishes the c ar c ass ashore and is released by the ,
p eo p le who c u t u p its body I n some versions t he wal
. ru s i s
’
R aven s vi c tim the story bein g a s p e c ial Nor t h -West form o f
,
the myth Of the hero swallowed by the monster whi c h is fou nd ,
from o c ean t o o c ean in Nor t h Ameri c a Finall y in variou s ways .
,
h e i s res p onsible for the flood whi c h p uts an end t o the Ag e
Of Animal Bein g s and inau g u rates t h at o f Men 49
A H aid a .
le g end re p eats t he Tlingit tale Of the j ealou s u n c le who i s ,
here identified with the p ersonified R aven N a n k ilst las (He ,
Whose-V oi c e is O beyed ) The sister g ives bi rth to a boy a s
- -
.
,
a resu lt o f swallowin g hot stones but the u n c le p lots to de ,
stroy the c hild and p u t s o n his hu g e ha t ( the rain
,
from whi c h a flood o f water p ou rs fo rt h to c over t he ea r t h .
The infant tran sform s himself in t o Y e t l the R aven and flies , ,
heavenwa rd while the h at o f N a n k ilst la s rises with the inu n
,
d a t ion ; but when Y e t l rea c hes the s k y he p u shes his bea k ,
i nto it and with his foot u p on the hat p res ses N a n k ilst la s
, ,
b a c k and d rowns him This tale a p p ears in many form s i n
.
the North -West the flood -b ringing hat Often belongin g to the
,
B eaver A fter the delu g e the su rviving bein g s o f the first
.
,
ag e a re tran sformed into animals hu m an bein g s a re c reated, ,
with thei r several langu a g es and the p resent order of the worl d,
i s established all a s in C alifornian myths O ne c u riou s in .
vers ion O f events in a Kwakiutl story tells how the ante
, ,
26 2 N O RTH AME R I CAN MYTHOLO G Y
d iluvian wolves after the subsiden c e o f the flood took O ff thei r
, ,
46
wolf masks and be c ame human bein g s
- .
VI I . S OULS AN D THEI R PO W ER S
I n no se c tion o f A mer i c a i s the belief in p osses sion by s p irits
and s p i ritist i c p owers more dee p ly seated than in the No rth
Wes t ; s hamanism i s the key to the whole c on c e p tion Of life
whi c h animates myth and rite S c ar c ely any idea c onne c t ed
.
with s p iri t u alis m i s ab sent : stories o f sou l-j ou rneys are fre
quent while tele p athi c c ommu ni c ation p ro p heti c forewa rnin g s
, ,
o f death and d is aster an d ma g i c c u res throu g h s p i rit aid are
,
a p art o f the s c heme o f natu re ; there are a c c ou nts o f c rystal
g azin g ,
i n whi c h al l land s and events a re revealed in the trans
lu c ent stone wh i c h re c u rs a g ain and again a s a ma g i c Obj e c t ;
,
and there are tales o f hou ses hau nted by sh adows and fea t hers ,
Of talkin g sku lls and bones th at a re l i v i ng bein g s by ni g ht ,
and of c hild ren born Of the dead wh i c h are only abo rtively ,
human There is also a kind o f p sy c holog y whi c h i s well de
.
v e lo p e d amon g some tribes
20
The d i sembodied sou l is no t a
.
“
whole o r hale being : Why are yo u m ak i n g an u p roar , ghosts !
’ ”
Y o u who take away men s reason ! is a fragm ent o f Kwa kiutl
son g ; and a c ertain story tell s ho w a si c k g irl whose hea rt wa s ,
ainted went ins ane b e c au se the c olou ring was a lied t o o
p , pp
”
stron g ly The Ha i d a have three word s for sou l ; t wo o f these
.
a p p ly to the i n c arnate soul and are re g arded a s synonym s ;
,
the third desi g nates the d i sembod i ed soul althou g h the latter ,
is not the s ame as the ghost wh i c h i s m arked by a d istin c t
,
n ame A c u riou s featu re o f Haid a p sy c holo g y i s that the word
.
fo r mind is the s ame as th at fo r th roat les s stran g e p erha p s , ,
when we refle c t u p on the im p o rtan c e o f s p ee c h in any d e sc rip
’
tion of the mind s most d i stin c tive p ower that o f reason ,
.
The ori g in o f death i s ex p lained in many ways 16
A Tl in g it .
story has been g iven and a Nootka tale tells o f a C hieftain
,
who ke p t eternal life in a c hest ; men tr i ed to steal i t from h i m
264 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
des c ribed it a s stret c hin g alon g the b anks o f a s andy river .
When i t i s summer i n t he world above i t is win t er in the ea rth
,
below ( an idea whi c h a p p ears in Hop i c on c e p t ions o f the world
order) ; and t he g hosts too are s aid to wal k with t heir head s
, ,
downward They s p eak a d ifferent l an g u a g e from tha t in the
.
world above an d ea c h soul re c eives a new n ame o n enterin g
,
the lower realms .
The ever-re c u rrin g and ever-p atheti c story o f the dead wife
’
and o f her g rievin g lord s quest fo r her the tale o f O rp heu s
and Eu ryd i c e a p p ea rs in va riou s forms in the North West
- .
53
Sometimes it is t he story o f a vain j ou rney without even a
,
si g ht o f the beloved thou g h the L and o f the D ead be dis
,
c overed ; sometimes the sea r c her is sent b a c k with
g ifts but
,
not with the o ne sou g ht ; sometimes the leg end is made a p a rt
o f the in c ident of the c arved wife —
the bereaved hu sband
m akin g a statu e o f the lost s p ou se whi c h may show a d im
,
and troubled life as if her sou l were seekin g to b reak th rou g h
,
to h im ; and a g ain it i s the tru e O rp hean t ale with the p a rtial
su c c es s t he tabu broken throu g h anxiety o r love and the s p irit
, ,
wife re c edin g on c e more to the lower world I t is no t ne c ess a ry
.
to invoke the theory o f borrowin g s fo r su c h a tale as this ; the
elemental fa c t o f hu man grief and yearnin g fo r the dep a rted
will ex p lain it Doubtles s a s imilar u nivers ality i n human n a
.
tu re and a similar likenes s in hu man ex p er i en c es will a ccou nt
for the mu ltitu de o f other c on c e p tions whi c h make the mythi c
u niverse of the men o f the O ld World and the men o f the New
fu ndamentally and es sent i ally o ne .
26 8 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
B B B ) h as b e en c h o s en a s th e s t an da rd The s am e form ( as a rul e) .
i s u se d fo r t h e s i ng u l ar a n d fo r th e co llec t ive p l u ral ; als o f re q uen t l y , ,
fo r t he adj e c t i v e .
( )
2 Wh e r e a t er m h as atta
’
ine d th rou g h c onsi d e ra b le usa e
g a , ,
f re qu en t Eng li s h for m es p ec i a ll y i f th is h as li t e r a ry ( a s d is t in c t
,
f rom sc i en t i fi c ) s a n c t ion s u c h fo rm is p re fe rre d Th is rule is me c e s
,
.
s a r ily l oo s e a n d d i ffi c u l t to a p p l y Thu s th e t e rm m a n i to wh i c h ha s .
,
m a n y v a ri a n t s is a l mo s t e q uall y w ell kn ow n un d er th e F re n c h
,
fo rm m a n ito u fo r wh i c h th ere is th e wa rr a n t of g eog r a p h i c a l us a g e
,
.
Ag a in Ma n a bo z ho is p re ferre d to N a n a bo z ho ( use d fo r th e t i t le o f
,
t h e a r t i c le in 30 B B E) fo r th e re a son th a t Ma n ahoz ho is mo re w i d el y
e m p l oy e d in n o n t e c h n i c a l wo r k s
- .
( 3) In ad a p tat ion s of t r a n sli tera t ions all s p ec i a l c h ara c t ers are
re n d e r e d by an a p p rox i m at i o n in th e An g l o R om a n al p hab e t a n d
-
a ll e xc e p t th e mo s t fam ili a r d i a c ri t i c a l m a r k s a re o m i tt ed Th is is .
a n a rb i t rar y rule b u t in a li t er a r y sense i t see m s to b e th e o nl y one
,
p o s s i b le .
(4 ) Vow els have th e I t ali a n v a lues Th us tip i rep la c es th e O l d er .
fo rm teep ee C h an g es of th is ty p e a re n ot al to g e th e r for tuna t e b u t
.
,
th e t ren d of us a g e is c le a rl y in th is d ire c t i o n In a few c a ses ( no tab l y .
f ro m Lo n g fe ll ow s Hi awa tha) o l d er li ter a ry fo rm s are k e p t
’
.
2 . MON ST ER S Mo ns t rous b eing s a n d r a c es oc c u r in th e m y
.
—
t ho lo g y of e v e r y A m e r i c a n t ri b e a n d w i th li tt le v a r i at ion in ty p e , .
Th ere a re : ( a ) m a nli k e mo ns t ers in c lu d in g g i a n t s dwa r f s c a nni ba ls , , , ,
a n d h e r ma p h r od i t es ; ( b ) a ni m a l m on st ers b i r d mo ns t ers wat er , ,
mo ns t e rs e t c ; ( c ) c om p o si t e an d m a l fo rm e d c re a tures su c h a s o n e
,
.
,
ey e d g i a n t s h e ad l e ss bod ies an d bod iless h e ad s skele to ns p e rsons
, , ,
ha l f s to n e o n e legg e d d ou b l e h e ad e d a nd fl in t a rmo ure d b eing s
,
-
,
-
,
-
,
ha rp i e s w i t c h e s o g re s e t c As a rule th ese c re ature s a re in th e
, , ,
.
,
n ature of fo l k-l o re b e in g s o r bo g ies In som e c a s e s th ey ha ve a c le a r .
c u t co s mo l o g i c o r c o s m og o n i c si g ni fi c a n c e ; th us myth s O f Ti ta n s ,
a n d Stone G i a n t s are us u all y c o s mo g oni c in m e a nin g ; l e g e n d s O f
s e rp en t s an d g i a n t b i rd s o ccur es p ec i a ll y in d e s c ri p ti o ns of a tmo s
p h e r ic a n d m e t e o rolog i c a l p h e n om en a ; th e s to ry of th e h e ro swa l
l owe d by a mo ns ter is usu a ll y in conn e xion w i th th e o ri g i n o f ani
m a ls Se e Not es 9 1 2 1 9 32 36 37 38 4 o 4 1 49 50 64
.
, , ,
The , , , , , , , ,
.
r i n ci a l tex t refere n ces a re: C h I i ( cf R I N K N o s 54 Ch
p p . . .
,
.
,
.
I I vii
. . C h IV V i ( MOON E Y [b ] p p 325
. . C h V ii (J E TT E ,
. . .
C h VI I ii ( LOW I E [b ] N O S 10 1 5 31 ; TE I T [a ] N os 29— 30 ;
. .
,
.
—
, ,
.
P OW E LL p p 4 5 ,
C h VI I I i ii
. C h IX vi ( CU S H I N G [c]. .
,
. . .
,
LU MM I S V OT H ) ,
C h XI iv . . . .
3 A N I M I SM The Es k i mo s Inue b elon g t o that unive rs a l g ro u p
—
’
. .
“ ”
of e l e m e n ta ry p ow e rs c o m mo n l y c a ll e d a ni m i st i c thou g h s o m e ,
w ri t e rs o bj ec t t o th is t e rm o n t he g ro un d that i t i m p li e s a C lear-c u t
N OTE S 26 9
sp iri t is m in Clo d d , Ha rt l a n d , e t al , I
a b ori g inal c on c ep t ions ( c f . .
Tra ns a cti o ns of the Thi rd I n ter n a ti o n a l Co n gress fo r the H is to ry of
Religi o ns , O xfo rd , 1 90 8 ; Ma re tt Thres ho ld of Reli gi o n , Lon do n , 1 90 9 ;
“
La ng , P re a n im ist ic R e li g ion , in Co n tem p o ra ry Review, 1 90 9 ; see
a l so , Pow e ll , I A RB E, p p 29 Ta k in g a n i m a in i t s p ri m i t ive
.
“ ” “
s ense O f b re ath , w in d , n o oth e r word seem s re a ll y p refe r ab l e a s
a d e s c r i p t i o n O f th e a n c i e n t n ot i o n of in dw e lli n g li v e s o r p o w e r s i n
a ll th in g s , i f that term b e p re fe rred Th e Am e ri c a n .
fo rm s un d e r wh i c h th i s i d e a a p p e a rs a re m a n y , m a ni to , o ren da , a n d
wa / ea n da b e in g th e t e r m s m o s t w i d e l y k no w n Th e a p p li c at i o n O f .
th e wo rd s v a ri e s som ewhat ( a ) Ma n ito , th e Al g o n q ui a n n am e , d e sig.
n at e s n o t onl y i m p e rson a l p owers b u t f re qu en t l y p e rsoni fi e d b e in g s ,
.
( b ) Or en da a n I roq u o i a n t erm is a p p li e d to p ow e rs c o n s i d e re d a s
, , ,
a tt ri b u t e s ( C) Wa k a nda th e S iou a n d e si g n at i o n c o n n ot e s in th e
.
, , ,
m a in i m p e rs o nal p o w e rs thou g h i t is s om e t i m e s u se d O f in d i v i d u a ls
, , ,
a n d a p p a ren t l y also fo r th e c o ll e c t ive o r p a n th e i s t i c p ow e r of th e
wo rl d a s a who le Usuall y in I n d i a n re li g i o n th e re is s om e s e nse O f
.
th e d i ff e re n c e b etw e e n a p erson a li ty a s a c au se a n d i t s p ow e r as an
a tt ri but e b u t in myth s th e t en d en c y is n atu r a ll y towa r d li v e l y p er
,
s o n ifi c a t io n C f Not e 4 Text referen ces : C h I iii ( i n u a p l u ra l
. . . . .
,
”
i n u e is c o g n at e w i th i nn /
,
e m an a n d m eans i t s m a n or
, ,
C h I I iii ( B R I NTO N [a ] p 6 2 ; H E W I TT [a ] p p 1 34 1 9 7 n ote a ;
. .
,
.
,
.
, ,
] R V 1 57 1 7 5 ; l xv i 233 C h V ii (J ETT P: [a ] iv ( F L E T C H E R
'
. . . .
, ,
a n d LA F L E SC H E p p 59 7 ,
Ch VI I I i ( MATT H E WS
.
—
. .
Ch X v. Ch XI ii ( B o A s [f] ; S WANTO N [a ] c h h viii ix) ; iv
. .
—
. .
,
.
,
( S WANTON [e ] p ,
.
4 ME D ICI N E The t erm m ed i c i n e ha s c om e to b e a p p lie d
—
. .
in a t e c h ni c a l sense t o O bj e c t s an d p r a c t i c e s c o n t ro llin g th e a ni m is t i c
p ow e rs o f n at ure a s th e In d i a n,
c o n c e ives th e m
“
Me d i c ine is
”
.
,
th erefo re in th e na tu re of p riv at e m a g i c a l p ro p erty I t m ay e xi s t
,
.
in th e fo rm of a son g o r s p e ll k nown to th e own e r in th e s h a p e of a ,
s ymb ol w i th wh i c h h e ado rns h is body or h is p oss e ssi o ns or in th e ,
g uise o f a m a t eri a l O bj e c t wh i c h 18 k e p t I n t h e m e d i c in e b ag in ‘‘
—
,
th e s a c re d b un d l e or i t m ay b e p resen t in s om e oth e r f e t is h i s t i c
“ ”
,
“ ”
form I t m ay a p p e a r in a m e d i c ine d an c e o r c e re mo n y o r in a
.
,
“
s y s t e m of r i t e s an d p r a c t i c e s k n own to a m e d i c ine lo d g e o r so
c ie t y Th e ess e n t i a l i d e a v a ri e s f ro m f e t i s h is m to s ymb olis m O n
. .
t h e fe t is h is t i c l evel is th e r e g a r d for obj e c t s th e m selve s a s s a c re d
an d p o werfu l ha vin g th e n atu re of c ha r m s or ta lis m a ns S u c h
, .
“
f e t is h es m a y b e p e rson a l b elon g ing s th e c o n t en t s of th e m e d i c ine
b ag ,
et c ( so m e t i m es eve n su bj e c t to b a r t e r)
. o r th e y m a y b e —
t ri b a l o r c ul t p oss e s si o ns su c h a s th e s a c re d p ol e s a nd s a c re d b un d les
,
of th e Pl a ins t ri b es or th e fe t i s h i ma g e s m a s k s a n d s a er a of th e
, , ,
Pueb l o a n d No rth —W es t s to c ks ; a n o t in f re q uen t for m is th e sa c re d
27 0 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
d ru m or ra tt l e Symbo lis m is r a rel y a b s en t even f ro m th e fe t is h is t i c
.
O bj e c t a n d usu a ll y th e fe t is h is los t in th e s ymb ol wh i c h is th e
, ,
“ ”
tok en O f th e union O f i n t e re st s b e tw een it s owner an d h is h el p er ,
o r t u t e l a ry I t is in th is l atter sense as d e si g n at ing th e re l at io n
.
,
b e tw ee n th e owner a n d h is g u a rd i a n or t u t elary th a t th e Al g o n ,
”
q u i a n t e rm to te m is m os t use d Th e tote m is n o t a th ing m a te .
r ia lly ow n e d a s is th e fe t is h ; i t is a s p iri t o r p ow e r f re q u e n t l y a n
, ,
a ni m al b e in g wh i c h ha s b een reveale d to th e in d ivi d u a l in vision a s
—
,
\
h is t u t e l a ry or wh i c h ha s co m e to h i m by d e s c en t h is whole c lan
, ,
p a r t i c i p a t in g i n th e ri g ht T h e T o rn a it of th e Es k i mo b e lon
.
g t o th is
”
l atter c l a ss ; th e wo r d tote m how ever is not use d in connexi o n , ,
w i th su c h g u a rd ians a n d in d ee d is n o w m a inl y res t ri c t e d to th e t u t e
,
l a rie s of c l a ns ri g ht to wh i c h p a sses by in h eri ta n c e Text referen ces :
,
.
C h I iii
. . C h V v ( D E S M E T p p 10 6 8
. . . C h VI I V i ,
. . . .
C h IX 111 ( CU S H I N G [a] ; M C S T EVE N SON [c] ; F EW K E S p ass i m)
. . . .
,
.
5 . S H AMAN I SM T h e t er m s a
.
p p li e d t o In d ian p ri e s t s an d wo n d er
work ers a re m a n y b u t th ey d o no t a l w a y s b ear a c le a r d is t in c t i o n
,
“ ”
of m e a ning The wor d s h a m a n is es p ec iall y co mm on in wo rks on
.
“ ”
th e Es k i mo a n d th e N orth W es t t ri b es ; m e d i c ine-m a n is use d
-
very l a rg el y w i th refe ren c e to th e e a s te rn an d c en t r a l t ri b es ; p ries t
is p art i c ularl y f req uen t in d es c ri p t ions of Pueb l o i n s t i tu t i o ns In .
g e neral th e fo llo w in g d e fi ni t ions re p re sen t th e d is t in c t ions i m p lie d :
,
a
( ) Sh a m a n A wo n d er -w o r k er a n d h e a ler d ire c t l y ins ire d by a
.
p
” ”
m e d i c ine -p ow er or g rou p of su c h p ow ers s h a m anis m si g ni fy
, ,
ing th e rec og ni t i o n of p o ssessi o n by p ow ers o r s p iri t s as th e p ri m ary
m o du s o p era ndi in a ll th e essen t ial rela t ions b e tw ee n m an an d th e
wo rl d p owe rs
- .
b M —Ma n Do cto r N o t ra d i c all y d i ff eren t f ro m s h a m an
( ) e di c i n e ,
.
,
tho u g h th e e m p loym en t of na turalis t i c m e th od s of h e a ling su c h as ,
th e use of h e rb a l m e d i c ines th e s we at b ath c ru d e surg ery e t c is ,
-
, ,
.
,
“ ”
O fte n i m p lie d es p ec i a ll y wh ere th e t er m d oc tor is e m p l oy e d
, .
( c ) P r ies t O n e au tho ri z e d to p resi d e o ver th e c eleb r at ion of t r ad i
.
t io n a l c ere mo nies S u c h p ers ons m us t b e ini t i ates in th e s o c ie ty or
.
body ow ning th e ri tes wh i c h are s om et i m es s h a m anis t i c in c ha r,
a c t er thou g h m ore f re q u e n t l y th e s h a m a n is su p p o se d t o g e t h is
,
p ow e rs as th e resul t o f a n in d ivi d ual e xp erien c e .
Every d eg ree o f rel at ion s h i p is fo un d fo r th ese offi c es In t ri b es .
of l ow soc i a l o rg ani zat i o n ( e g th e Es k i mo a n d th e Cali fo rni a ns ) . .
th e s h a m a n is th e m a n of reli g iou s i m p o r ta n c e ; in t ri b e s w i th w e ll
d eve l o p e d t r ad i t ion a l ri t es th e p ries t l y c h ar a c t er is f re qu en t l y c o m
bin e d w i th th e s ham a nis t i c ( a s in th e N or th—W es t) ; s t ill oth e r p eo
p les ( a s th e P ue b l o ) eleva t e th e p r ies t f ar a bo ve th e m e d i c ine-m an
,
who m a y b e si m p l y a do c to r or m e d i c a l p r a c t i t i o n e r or who on , , ,
th e s h am anis t i c leve l m ay b e reg ard e d as a w i t c h or w i z ard w i th
, ,
27 2 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
s e rt i o n that th e In d i a n s i d e a of a G re a t S p iri t is d erive d fro m wh i t e
’
m i ssi on a ri e s is that th e In d i a n c o n c e p t i o n is l e s s a n th ro p omo rp h i c
tha n that co mmo nl y e n t e rta ine d by a n un p h il o s o p h i c wh i t e ( tho u g h
i t is o n e that wo ul d ha v e b een re ad il y c om p re h en d e d by t he Sto i c s
o f a n t i q u i ty a n d wo ul d no t ha ve s ee m e d r e mot e t o t he tho u g ht O f
,
P l ato o r A ri s tot l e ) I f a se p a r at i o n of i d e a s b e m a d e a n d t h e B ibli
.
,
“ ”
c a l e p i th e t He a venl y Fath er b e u n d e rs tood fo r wh a t i t do u bt l e ss
o ri g i n a ll y wa s a n am e fo r a b e ing who wa s ( I ) th e sky th ro n e d ruler
,
-
of t he wo rl d a n d ( 2) i t s c rea tor a b ett e r c o m p re h en s i o n of In d i a n
, ,
i d e a s w ill fo ll ow ; fo r i t is r a re in Am eri c a to fi n d Fath e r He aven in
th e c re at ive role ( th e Zu ii i a n d C a li fo rnian c o s mo g o ni e s a re e xc e p
t i o n s) I t is p a rt l y fo r th is re a s o n that h e p la y s so s m a ll a p a rt
.
myth ; h e b el o ng s to re li g io n r ath e r tha n to mytho l o g y p ro p er .
La ng is p ro b ab l y w ro n g in reg a r d in g th e S u p re m e B e i n g a s fa i né a n t ,
a d o n oth ing ; o c c asion a ll y th e In d i a n e xp re sse s h i m s e l f t o th is
—
eff e c t bu t n o o n e c a n fo llow th e d e ta il of In d i a n ri tu a l w i th o ut
,
b e i ng i m p re sse d by h is in t ense reveren c e for th e Ma s ter of Li fe a n d
h is fi rm c o nvi c t ion in h is g ood n e s s That th e In d i a n m ore O ft en .
a dd re ss e s p r ay e r to th e in te rm e d i a ri e s b e tween h i m s el f a n d th e
rul e r of th e h i g h h e aven or m a k e s o ff e ring s to th e m is a s n atu r a l
, ,
a s that a L at i n s ho ul d a p p roa c h h is fam ili a r s a in t s A p a r t i c u l a rl y .
g ood b i t of evi d en c e i f mo re w ere n ee d e d for th e ab o ri g in a l c ha r
, ,
“
a c t e r of th e h e aven-g o d is g iven by Swa n to n p The .
C h i ef Above is th e H a i d a n am e fo r G od a s ta u g ht th e m by th e
-
,
“ ”
m i ss i o n a ri e s ; Pow e r O f th e Sh inin g He avens is th e ir abo ri g in a l
- - - -
Z eus : Som e Mass e t p eo p l e o n c e fe ll to c om p a ring The C h i e f Above
“
- -
w i th P ow e r O f—t he Sh ining -He a v e ns in m y p resen ce Th e y s a i d
- - .
th ey w e re n o t th e s am e The i d e a that I fo r m e d of th e ir a tt i tu d e
.
towa r d th is b eing wa s that j us t a s h u m a n b eing s coul d re ceive
, ,
‘
p ow e r or
’
b e p o
‘
s s e ss e d by su p e rna t ur a l’
b ein g s a n d su p e rn at u r a l ,
b e in g s c o u l d re c e i v e p ow e r f ro m o th er su p ern atura l b ein g s so th e ,
who l e of t he l att e r g o t th eirs in th e las t an a l y s is f rom th e Pow e r-o f
”
t h e Sh i n in g He a vens
- - Th e sa m e i d ea o f a h i e r a rc hy in s p a c e w i th
.
t h e h e a v en g o d at i t s su mm i t a p p ears in th e ri tu a l of th e Mi d e w i w in
-
,
in t h e Ha ko C e re m on y an d in th e O lelb is myth Th es e are onl y a
,
.
fe w i n s ta n c es f rom d i ff eren t p a r t s of th e c on t inen t ; th e re a re nu m e r
o u s oth e r e x am p l es fo r wh erever th e b re ath of He a ven is id en t i
,
fi e d w i th t h e d e sc en t of li fe f ro m o n h i g h a n d th e li g ht o f d ay is ,
r eg a rd e d a s t he s ymbo l of b lessin g s b es towe d u p on m an th e co n ,
c e p t io n O f Fath e r He a ven th e G r e at S p iri t is fo u n d ,
Se e Not es 1 3 ,
.
,
1 5 25 26 30 34 6 3
, , , ,
Text r eferen ces : C h I iii ( c f B o A s [a ] p 58 3
,
. . . .
,
.
“
Th e C e n t r a l Es k i mo b e lieve in th e To rn a it of th e O ld G reen
l a n d e rs wh il e th e To rn arsu k ( i e th e g re at To rn a q of th e la tt e r)
,
. .
is u n k n ow n t o C h I I ii (j R xxxiii . iv ( see N ot e
. .
N OTE S 27 3
—
Ch . . iv ( MO R I C E [b ] ;
V iii ( F L E TC H E R , pp . 27 , 21 6,
D E S M E T p 9 36 ; EASTMAN [b ] p p 4
,
. C h VI I v C h IX ,
. . . . . .
iii ( M C S T EVE N SON [c ] p p
. . Ch X iii ( KR O EB ER [c ] ,
.
—
. .
,
p p 1 8 4 34 8 ; [e ] p 9 4 ; GODDA R D [b ] NO 1 ; GA T S C H ET [C] p 1 4 0 ;
.
, ,
.
,
.
,
.
CU RT I N [a ] ; [b ] p p 39 C h XI iv ( S WANTON [a ] p p 1 3 1 5
,
. . .
,
.
—
,
1 90 ; [b ] P 28 4 ;
, PR 26
7 . GODD E S S E S .
—
Th e re
are sever a l o ccurren c e s in N orth Am e ri
c a n mytho l o g y o f a
g odd e s s a s th e Su p r e m e l y i m p o r ta n t d e i ty of a
” “
p a n th e o n N e rriv ik . Fo o d D i s h is t h e e p i th e t g i v e n by R a s m us
, ,
“
s e n to t h e d i v ini ty c a lle d A rn a r k su a s a k O ld Woma n by R in k
g , , ,
A rn a k u ag sa k by Th alb it z e r a n d S e d n a a n d N u liaj o q by B o a s He r ,
.
c ha r a c t e r a s th e r u l e r of s e a fo o d su ffi c i e n t l y a c co u n t s fo r h e r i m o r
-
p
ta n c e in t he fa r No rth A s om ewhat si m il a r g odd e ss a p p e a rs amon g .
t he No r th W e s t C oa s t t ri b e s ; s h e is th e own e r O f t he food ani ma ls
-
o f th e se a wh i c h c om e fo rth f ro m a c h e st th at is a l way s fu ll ( B oa s
[g ] xx
,
. F o am Wom a n t he H ai d a a n c e s t r a l d i v ini ty is p e rha p s
, ,
th e s am e p e rso n a g e Th e B e ll a Coo l a d e i ty Q a m a it s who dw e ll s
.
, ,
i n t h e h i g h e s t h e a v en b e l o n g s to a d i ff e re n t c l a s s ; a p p a ren t l y she is
,
th e o n e e xam p l e of a t ru l y s u p re m e b e i n g in f e m i n in e fo r m in No rth
Am e ri c a for she is a c o s m i c c re ato r a n d r u l e r r ath e r tha n a food
,
g i v e r ; o n th e o th er ha n d th e fa c t that s h e ha s a l a k e of s a l t wat e r
, .
a s h e r b ath m a y in d i c a t e a m a rine ori g in In th e So u th W e s t g o d .
-
d e sses a re i m p ort an t b o th in c os m og o n y an d in c ul t Th e re is n o .
h i g h e r p e rson a g e in th e N ava ho p a n th e o n tha n Est san a t le hi an d ,
h e r do u b l e t s in Pu e b lo myth enj o y nearl y e q u a l r a n k Ag a in i t is .
h e r a s so c i at ion w i th food g ivin g f ro m wh i c h th is g odd e ss d e rive s -
h e r s t a t us for in th e So u th W es t th e G re at G odd es s of th e We s t
,
-
re s i d es over th e r e i o n wh en c e c om e th e f ru c t i fy in
p g g r a ins Co s .
m o g o n ic Ti ta n e s s e s o c c ur in m a n y myth s in al m o st every in sta n c e ,
a s p e rso n ifi c a t io n s of t h e E a rth wh i c h in t urn is a l mo s t univ e rs a ll y ,
re c o g ni z e d a s th e g re at g iv e r of li f e a n d foo d Se e N o t e s 34 35 43 .
, ,
.
Text referen ces : C h I iii ( cf RA SM U S S E N p p 14 2 1 5 1 ; R I N K p 40 ;
. . .
,
.
, ,
.
B OAS [a ] p p 58 3 ,
Ch VI V ii
. C h VI I I i ( MATT H E WS
—
. . .
—
. .
—
C h IX v ( see Not e 35 fo r r e f e re n c e s ) v i
. . Ch XI ii : ,
.
—
. .
Th e m a rin e g o d of th e No rth-W e st Co a s t is a m a s culine e qu iv a len t
o f S e d n a ( B OAS [ f] p 374 ; [g ] p ass i m ) ; iv ( B OA S [j ] p p 27
,
.
, ,
.
8 TH E P ER I L O U S WA Y
. D e sc ri p t i o ns O f th e da ng e rs b e sett ing
.
—
th e j ourn e y to t h e La n d O f S p iri t s wh eth e r fo r th e d e ad souls that ,
a re t o re turn n o mo r e th e adven t uro us s p iri t s of s ha m ans or th e
, ,
s t ill m ore da rin g h e ro e s O f myth wh o seek t o t r averse th e w a y in th e
fl e s h a re fo u n d in p r a c t i c a ll y a ll In d i a n mytholog i e s The analog u es
,
.
w i th Old Wo rl d myth w ill oc c u r to eve ry re ad e r Th e s p e c i a l p e rils
- .
ass o c i at e d w i th th e mo o n in j o urney s to th e s k y-wo rl d a re in t e res t
i ng ly si m il a r in G re e nl a n d a n d o n th e N orth -W es t Co a s t C f N o t es . .
27 4 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
10 , 53
4 2, .C h I
Text iii iv Cfh I I
re eren ces :I V l l (j R vi 18 1 ; . .
, . . . .
C ON VER S E p p 5 5 ; 1 2 D E S
,
M E T .
p Ch
-
VI I v i —
Ch ,
.
—
. . . .
VI I I ii Ch X v i
. . C h XI v . . . . . .
9 W AT
. ER M O N ST ER S T h e re is a s t r i k in g si m il a ri ty in th e
.
p er
so n n e l o f th e myth i c se a p ow e rs am on g th e Es k i m o a n d o n th e
—
No rth We s t C oa s t n e a rl y every ty p e of b e in g in th e o ne g rou p h av
-
,
in g i t s e q ui v a l e nt in th e o th er m erm en p ha n to m b oa tm en mo u th , ,
p ro w e d a n d li v ing b o at s a n d mo s t c urious of a ll th e F ire-Pe o le
, p , , .
N owh e re else in N orth Am eri c a exc e p t for th e N ova S c ot i a n Mic ,
m a c ha s a n y consi d e r ab l e b o dy of m a ri n e m yth s b een p re serve d
,
.
Everywh ere h ow ever th ere are w ell d efi ne d g rou p s of un d er-w a t er
, ,
b eing s som et i m es rep t ilia n or p is c ine so m e t i m es h u m a n in form
, , .
Am on g th e i m p or t an t m yth s in wh i c h un d er-wat er mo ns t ers are
c o n s p i c u o us are : ( a ) th e c om m o n leg en d o f a h ero s w allow e d by a
h u g e fi s h or o th er c re ature ( n o t al way s a w a t e r—b eing ; cf N ot e .
f rom whose body h e c u t s his way to f re e dom or is oth e rw ise releas e d ; ,
( b ) th e flood s to ry in wh i c h th e h e ro s b ro th er or c om p a nion is
’
, , ,
d r a gg e d dow n to d ea th by water mo ns t ers wh i c h c ause th e d elu g e
wh en th e h e ro ta k es reven g e u p on th em ( see N o t e ( c ) th e
So u th-W e s t e rn myth of th e su bt e rr a n e a n w a t er m ons t er who th re at
e n s t o inun dat e th e worl d in reven g e fo r th e th e ft of h is two c h il d ren ,
a n d who is a p p ease d onl y by th e s a c r i fi c e o f o th er two c h il d re n or of
a you th an d a m ai d ( c f N o te Text referen ces : C h I iv ( R I N K
. . .
,
p 4 6 ; RA SM U S S E N p p 30 7 Ch I I vn C h I I I iv Ch —
. . . . . . . .
, .
IV v i ( MO O N E Y [b ] p p 320
. C h V ix ( J O D O R S E Y [d ]
,
.
,
. . . .
,
p 538 ; F L E T C H E R an d L F Ch VI I I i Ch
— —
. A LES C H E p ,
. . . . .
X iv . .
10 AB O D E O F T H E D E AD
. Cavernous un d erworl d s houses in .
—
,
h eaven th e rem o tel y t errene V illag e b eyon d th e river o r th e earth l y
, ,
town o n th e o th e r si d e o f th e w es t ern sea are all in clu d e d in th e
Am e ri c a n s myth i c h o m es o f th e d ea d In th e Fores t an d P lains
’
.
reg i o ns a w es tern villag e si tua te d b eyon d a river wh i c h th e livi n g ,
c a nn ot c ro ss even i f th e y win t o i t s b a nks is p erh a p s th e m os t ,
c o mmo n i d ea th ou g h th rou g h ou t th is p or t i o n o f th e con t inen t th e
,
Mil k y Way is th e P a thway of So uls In th e So u th-W es t th e su b
“ ”
.
t err a ne a n l a n d of souls is usu a l an d o n th e P a c i fi c th e s p iri t s of th e ,
d e ad a re su p p ose d to fa re to overse a isles ; b u t n owh ere is th ere g re at
c o nsis t e n c y of b e li e f The i d e a of d iverg en t d es t ini e s fo r d i ffe ren t
.
c l a sses of p eop le fi n d s wh a t is d ou bt less it s m os t p ri m i t ive fo r m in
th e not i o n that those wh o d ie by violen c e es p ec i a ll y in w ar an d , ,
wom en in c h il d-b irth h ave a sep ara t e a b o d e in th e a fte r-li fe Th e .
Es k i mo Tlin g i t a n d Hai d a p la c e th e dwelling p la c e of p ersons s o
, ,
-
dy i ng in th e s k ies a nd i t is in t e re s t in g to n ot e th a t th e sa m e d is
,
t in c t ion w as ob serve d by th e Azt e c s wh o b elieve d th a t m en dy ing ,
27 6 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
of th i s u p p e r-wo rl d s e ri e s ha s b ee n s ymm e t ri c a ll y ext en d e d to th e
wo rl d b e l o w a n d y e t i t is th e fo ur-fo l d un d e rwo rl d th a t re curs
,
m o s t d e fi n i t e l y S ee Not es 6 1 0 31 66 6 8 . Tex t r eferen ces : C h I , , , , . . .
iv . C h—
I I v ( 45 B BE .
p . 21 ; M O ON E Y b
[ ] pp 2 6 —
3 4 0 4 30 ,
.
, .
, ,
n ote C h V ix (J O D O RS E Y [d ] p p 520 — 26 ; F L E T C H E R a n d
. . . .
, .
LA F LESC H E pp 1 34 4 ;1 C f ,J O D O R
. S E Y b
[] — —
Ch VI ii . . .
, . .
( W I LL an d S P I ND E N ) ; iii“ ( G A D O R S E Y [e] no t e 2 s t a t es that . .
, ,
“
Tirawahu t re fe rs to th e en t ire h e a vens a n d everyth ing co n
”
t a in e d th e r e in ; Ta h iru ssawic h i th e C h aui p ries t q uot e d in 22 ,
“
ARB E p a r t 2 p 29 s a i d : Awaho k shu is th a t p la ce
, ,
.
,
wh e re
Tirawa at iu s th e m i g hty p ow er dw ells B elow are th e l e ss e r p ow ers
-
, ,
.
,
to whom m an c an a p p e al d irec t l y whom h e c an see a n d h ear an d ,
f ee l an d who c an com e ne a r him Tirawahu t is th e g re at c irc le in
,
.
th e sky wh ere th e lesser p ow e rs C h VI I iii (TE I T [a ] . .
,
p . 1 9 a n d N os,
2 10 [ b ] p 33
.
7 ; M,
A S O N No ,
Ch VI I I ,
.
,
.
—
. .
ii. C h IX ii ( CU S H I N G [b ] ; M C S T EVE N S O N [b ] [c] ; F EW K E S
. . . .
,
a
[] , C h XI iv (
—
S W A NTON a
[]
. c h ii e
; [ ] p p 4 5 60 ; B OAS
. 1—
,
.
, .
[j] , PP ' 27— 37)
12 . G H OSTS .
—
The g h os t
or w rai th o f th e d ea d is g enerall y co n
c e iv e d to b e d i ff e r en t f ro m th e soul a n d is c l o s e l y asso c ia t e d w i th th e ,
m at e ri a l re m a ins o f th e d e ad Ani m a t e d ske le tons t alkin g skulls .
, ,
a n d s c a l p e d m e n a re fo rm s in wh i c h th e d ea d a re s ee n in th eir for m er
h aun t s ; som e t i m e s s h a dow s an d wh is t ling w r a i th s rep resen t th e d e
p a rte d In a g rou p o f c urio u s m yth s th e d e ad a p p e a r as livin g a n d
.
b e au t i ful by ni g ht b u t a s s k ele to ns by d a y Marri a g es b etw een th e
,
.
d e ad an d th e livin g w i th th e s p ec i a l tab u th a t th e off s p ring s h all
,
n ot to u c h th e earth o ccur in sever a l ins ta n c es as th e P awnee t ale , ,
( C h VI v) or th e K li c k i tat s tory of th e g i r l w i th th e g hos t lover
. .
( C h VI I vi ) fo r wh i c h B oa s g ives a B e ll a Coola p arall e l in wh i c h
. .
,
th e off sp ring of th e m a rri a g e is a living h e ad th a t sin k s in to t h e e a rth
so soon as i t is in ad ve r t e n t l y a ll ow e d t o t ou c h t he g roun d xxii .
S ee N ot e s 8 20 53 Tex t referen ces : C h I iv , Ch VI v
,
. . . .
—
. .
( G A D O R S E Y [g ] N os 10 34 ; [e] No 20 ; G R I NN E LL [c]
. .
,
Th e
.
, ,
.
,
G ho s t C h VI I vi ( see N otes 20 53 for referen c e s ) . .
,
.
C h VI I I i
. . .
1 3 SU N AND MOON
. The s u n is th e m os t u n ivers a ll y vene r ate d
.
ab o ri g in a l d e i ty o f N orth Am e ri c a ; an d th is is t rue to s u c h a n e xt en t
”
that t he In d i a ns h ave b een re a sona b l y d e si g n at e d Su n Wo rs h i p p e rs - .
N eve rth e l e s s th e re a re m a n y t ri b es wh e re th e s u n c ul t is un im p o r
,
-
ta n t b u t o n th e o th e r h an d th e re a re w ell d efi n e d reg i o ns wh e re i t
, ,
b ec om e s p a ra mo un t p a rt i c u l a rl y amo ng t h e sou th e rn a g ri c ul t u ral
,
p eo p l e s Th e moo n is reg a rd e d a s a p ow e rful b e ing y e t q ui t e fre
.
,
q u e n t l y a s a b a n e fu l o r d a n g e rou s o n e ( C f Not e Usu a ll y th e su n .
is m a s culine an d th e m oon fem inine thou g h in a c urious exc ep t i o n ,
N OTE S 77
( C h e ro k ee Y u c h i ) th e ,
is th e wom an an d th e m oon th e m an ;
su n
in th e S o u th-W e st a n d N o rth-W e st both are g e n e rall y d e sc ri b e d a s
m a sculine Hu s ba n d a n d w i fe is th e usu a l re l at i o n of th e p a ir an d
.
,
th e Tlin g i t e xp l a in th e s u n s ec li p se a s du e to a vi si t of w i fe to hu s
’
b a n d ; b ut in a m yth wh i c h is to l d by both Es k i mo a n d C h e ro k ee ,
s u n an d moo n a r e b ro th er a n d s is t er g u il ty o f in c e s t ( c f N o t e ,
.
In th e So u th-W e s t a n d mo re o r l e ss o n th e P a c i fi c C oa s t th e su n
, ,
a n d m o o n a re c o n c e ive d as m at e ri a l obj e c t s b orne a c ro s s th e sk y by
c a r r ier s a n d th e y e a rl y v a r i at i o ns of th e s u n s p ath a re e x l a i n e d
’
, p
by m e c ha ni c a l m e a n s p ol e s by wh i c h th e Su n C a rrier a sc e n d s to
— -
a s k y b ri d g e wh i c h h e c ro ss e s a n d wh i c h is a s b road a s th e e c li p t i c
-
, ,
” “
et c Wh ile th e s u n is a g re at d e i ty
. Fath e r Su n he is s e l do m
t ru l y s u p re m e ; h e is th e loft i e s t an d mo s t p ow e rf u l O f th e in t erm e
d i a ri e s b e tween m an an d Fath er He ave n a n d b o th h e an d th e moo n ,
a re inv a ri ab l y c rea t e d b ein g s Som e t i m e s how ever th e su n s ee m s .
, ,
to b e reg ard e d as th e li fe of h e a v en i t s e l f an d a s i t s i mmo rta l li fe ; ,
th i s is c le a rl y th e m e a nin g of th e Mo d oc myth O f K u m us h th e ,
c r e ato r who a nni h il at e d by fi r e th e b e a u t i fu l b lue m a n b u t c oul d
, ,
n o t d e s t ro y th e g o l d en d i s k wh i c h wa s h is li fe a n d s o us e d i t t o ,
t r a n sfo rm h i m s e l f in t o th e e m p y re a n ( Curt i n [b ] p p 39 D ou b le t ,
.
suns a n d m oo ns in th e wo rl d s b elow an d a b o ve our o wn a re fre
, ,
q u en t l y m en t ione d ; often th e su n is s u p p ose d to p ass to th e un d er
wo rl d after th e d ay s j o urney is c om p le te d in ord er t o re tu rn t o h is
’
,
s ta rtin g p oi n t ; p ossi b l y th e no t ion of a n u n d erworl d who se d ay s a n d
-
se a sons i n t e rc ha ng e w i th ou rs ( a P a c ifi c-C oa s t no t ion ) is d ue to th e
as su m p t i o n that th e su n a l terna t es in th e worl d a b ove an d th e wo rl d
b e l ow Am on g th e i m p orta n t su n-myth s a re : ( a ) th e w ell-ni g h u n i
.
vers a l s to ry of th e h e ro or h eroi c b ro th e rs who se fath er is th e sun or
s o m e c eles t i a l p ers o n c losel y a k i n to th e sun ( c f Not e ( b ) th e .
P ha e th on myth c omm on in th e N or th W es t in wh i c h th e Mink is
,
-
,
p e rm i tt e d to c a rry th e su n d isk a n d a s a c o nse q uen c e c a uses a c o n
-
, ,
fl a g ra t io n ; ( c ) th e r e l at e d l e g e n d of th e c re at i o n O f th e su n wh i c h , ,
un t il i t is p ro p e rl y elev ate d ove rh e at s th e wo rl d ; ( d ) t r ad i t i o ns of
,
th e th e ft of th e su n wh i c h a re v a ri a n t s o f th e P rom e th e a n t ale of
,
th e th e ft of fi re ( C f N o t e Tex t r eferen ces : C h I v ( R I N K N O
. . .
,
.
35 ; R A SM U SS E N p p 1 7 3 74 ; B OA ,
S [a ].
p p 59 7
—
C h I I vi ,
.
—
. .
(j R v i 223; C ON VER . S E p p 4 8 5 1 ; H OFFMAN [b ] p ,
. Ch —
,
.
—
.
I I I i v i ( for th e B all C a rrier s to ry se e S C H OO L CRAFT [a] p a r t
.
,
“ ”
-
, ,
iii p 31 8 ; H OFFMAN [b ] p p 223
,
. Ch IV ii ( MOON E Y [a ]
,
.
—
. .
,
p 34
. 0 ; [b ] p p 2 39 4 9 ,
2 56 ; LA F I TA U
.
—
i 1 67 ,
iv C h V vi ,
. .
—
. .
( F L E T C H ER p p 30 1 34 40 ; for Su n D an c e referen c es see N o t e
,
.
,
— -
C h VI iii iv ( G A D O R S E Y [e] N O 1 6 ; [h] No s 14 1 5 ; [a ]
. .
,
. .
,
.
,
.
, ,
pp 2.1 2 1 3 ; D O R—S E Y an d KR O E B ER No s 1 34 38 ; S I MM S F O M ii ,
.
—
, ,
N O 1 7 ; MOO N E Y [ ] p p
. c 2 8
3 39 ; LO W I E,
a
[] N o .
—
Ch VI I —
,
. . .
27 8 N O RTH AME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
iii (TE I T [a ] No [b ] N o 8 ; P OW E LL p ,
iv ( POW E LL , . 8 ; LOW I E ,
.
,
.
pp 5 2 .
—
Ch VI I I ii iii ( J AM E S S T EVE N SON p p 27 5 v . .
, , .
( R U SS E LL p 25 1 ; LUMH O LTz [a ] i 29 5 if 31 1 ; [b ] p p 357
,
.
,
.
, , .
C h IX iii iv vi v ii
. C h X vi ( GODDA R D [c] No s 3
.
, , Ch ,
. . .
,
.
, .
XI iv V ( B OA S [j ] p p 28 — 36 ; [g ] V 2 ; viii 2 ; xv 1 ; xviii 1 ; xx 1 , 1 a ;
.
, ,
.
,
. . . . .
xx ii I 19 xxiii I 3 4 ; S WANTON [a ] p 14 For t h e Mink c y c le
.
, ,
.
, , ,
. .
B OAS [g ] xv n 1 ; xviii 7 ; xx 2 3; xxi 2 ; xxii 1 2 ; B OAS an d HU NT
,
. . .
,
. .
,
[b] p p 8 0 1 63; B OAS [j ] p 9 5)
,
—
,
.
14 S TA R S AND CO N ST E LLAT I ON S
.
—
N o g rou p of myth s is mo re .
un i fo rm o n th e N orth A m eri c an con t in e n t tha n th o se rel at ing t o
c o n st e ll at i o ns ; usu a ll y th ey are ex t re m e l y si m p le The G re at B e a r .
,
P l e i ad es an d O ri o n s B e l t are th e g ro u p s m os t f re q u e n t l y m e n
’
,
t io n e d ; a n d th e c omm on e s t ta le is of a c h ase in wh i c h th e p urs u e d
r u n s u p in to th e s ky foll owe d by e tern a ll y unsu c c e ss f u l p ursuers , .
Th i s myth see m s qu i t e n atur a l a s a d e s c ri p t ion o f Urs a Maj or
t h e fo ur f e e t of a fl ee in g q u ad ru p e d ( usuall y in Am e r i c a t o o a b e a r) , , ,
a n d th ree p ursue r s Eq u a ll y O b vi o us is th e con c e p t i o n of P lei ad es a s a
.
g rou p of d an c e rs o r of C o ro n a B o re a lis as a coun c il c ir c le O f th e s ta rs
, .
,
V e n u s a s m o rning s ta r wh i c h is g ener a ll y reg a rd ed a s a yo u ng wa r
, ,
rior m e ss eng e r of th e Su n a n d th e Pole Sta r b e li eve d by t he P awnee
, , ,
to b e th e c h i e f of th e ni g ht s k ies are th e o nl y o nes w i d e l y in d i ,
v id u a liz e d in myth The Milky Way is u n i v ersall y th e S p iri t P ath . .
S tar-myth s are es p e c i a ll y a b un d an t a n d vivi d a mo ng th e Pa w nee
( c f C h VI iii ) Text references : C h I v ( R I N K p p 4 8 232 ; B OA S
. . . . . .
,
.
,
[a ] p 636 ; RA SM U S S E N p p 1 7 6 77
,
. C h I I v i ( C ON VER S E ,
.
—
,
. .
,
p p 53 63; S M I T H p p 8 0 8 1 ; c f E G S Q U I ER A m er i ca n Review
— -
. . . . .
, , ,
n e w s e ri e s ii 1 8 4 8 p , Ch V viii ( F L E T C H ER p 129
, ,
.
-
. .
, . .
G A D O R S E Y [e] s t a tes th at th e Evenin g S ta r is of h i g h er r a nk a m ong
. .
th e P awn e e Th e l eg en d of PO Ia ha s b ee n m ad e th e su bj e c t O f an
''
o p e r a by Arth ur N evin a n d R a n d ol p h H a rt ley The versi o n h e re .
fo ll ow e d is that of WA LT ER MC CL I NTO C K The Old N o rth Tra il c h , ,
.
xxxviii O th er versi o ns a re G R I NN E LL [a ] p p 93 10 3; W I SS L E R an d
.
,
.
—
D UV A LL ii 4 The s tory b el o n g s to a w i d e—s p re a d ty p e ; c f G A
,
. . . . .
D O R S E Y [e] N o 1 6 a n d not e 1 1 7 ; [f] No s 14 1 5 ; Not e 36 i nfra
,
.
, ,
.
, ,
.
F o r cons t e ll at io n-myth s see F L E T C H ER p 234 ; LOW I E [a ] p 1 77 ; ,
.
,
.
MC CL I NT O C K p p 4 8 8 9 0 ; J O D O R S E Y [d ] p ,
—
C h VI i
.
—
. .
,
. . .
( MO R IC E Tra ns a ctio ns of the Ca na dia n I ns titu te v 28
, iii (G A , . . .
D O R S E Y [e] No 1 an d ,
iv ( see N ot e 1 3 fo r re fe ren c e s) ; v ( G
.
, .
A D O R S E Y [e] N o 2 ; [g ] N O
. C h VI I I v ( LUMH O LTZ [a ]
,
.
,
. . .
,
p p 29 8 31 1 36 1
.
,
C h IX iii vi , , . .
,
.
15 C OSM O G ONY
. A m er i c a n c os m og onies ou g ht p e r h a p s t o b e .
—
d e sc ri b e d a s c o s m i c myth s of m i g r at i o n a n d t ra n s fo rm at ion In a .
fe w i n sta n c e s ( n ot a b l y th e Zu fi i c o s mo g o n y a n d s om e C a li forni a n
l eg en d s) th ere is a t rue c re at ion ex nihilo ; b u t th e ty p i cal s tories
28 0 N O RTH AME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
re p re sen t s a d e bat e b e twee n two d e m iurg i c b e ing s o ne a rg uing fo r ,
t he b e stowa l of i mmo r ta l li fe u p o n t he h u m an r a c e t he oth e r in ,
s i s t i n g that m e n m u s t die ; s om e t i m e s th e c ho i c e is d e t er m in e d by
re a so n som e t i m e s by d ivin at i o n ma li c i o usl y in fl u en c e d A So u th
,
.
W e st e rn ty p e t e lls of a fi rs t d e ath c a u se d by w i t c h c ra ft o r m a li c e , ,
wh i c h s e t s t he l aw O n t he P a c i fi c Co a st t he t wo mot ive s a re c o m
.
b in e d ; t he fi rs t d e ath is fo ll ow e d by a d e b at e a s t o wh e th e r d e ath
s ha ll b e l a s t i n g or t e m p o r a ry ; a n d o ft en a g ri m r e p ris a l u p o n th e
p e r so n ( usu a ll y C oyot e ) wh o d e c re e s t he p er ma n e n c y of d e ath
a p p e a rs in t h e fa c t that i t is h is c h il d who is th e secon d vi c ti m .
O th e r m o t i v e s a re o c c a si o n a ll y fo un d Th ese myth s s ee m to b e t y p i .
c a ll y A m e ri c a n Text referen ces : C h I v ( RA SM U SS E N p p 99 1 0 2 ;
. . .
,
.
—
RIN K p ,
C h I I I v ii (] R vi
. C h VI v ( G A D O R
. . . . . . .
S E Y [e] No 2 ; [g ] N o 35 ; W I S S L ER a n d D U VA LL i 3 4 ; D O R S E Y
,
.
,
.
,
.
,
a n d KR O EB ER N O C h VI I v ( POW E LL p p 44 4 5 ; C f LOW I E
,
. . .
,
.
—
.
Ch VI I I l l ( MATT H E WS [a ]
“
[b ] No
,
.
—
. O ri g in . v (G O D ,
DA R D [a ] No v i (D U B O I S) Ch IX vi Ch X iii ( D IX ON [d ] — —
. . . . . . .
, ,
No s 1 . v ii ( KR O E B ER [
,
c] N os 9 1 2 1 7 38 ; D IX ON [b ] NO 7 ; ,
.
, , , ,
.
[c] NO 2 ; F RA C HTE N B E R G [a ] N o 5 ; CU RT I N [a ] p p 1 63 74 ; [b ] p p
, .
,
.
, .
—
,
.
60 6 8 ; GODDA R D [b ] p
,
C h XI vi ( B OAS [g ] xx iv
,
. v ii . .
,
.
( B OAS [g ] xiii 2 6b ) ,
.
,
.
17 MI SC E G E NAT I ON
. Sto ri e s of su p erna tural a n d un n atural
.
m arri a g es a nd sexu a l uni o ns a re very c ommo n Som e t i m e s th e y .
a re l eg e n d s of th e m ai d who m a rri e s a s k y b e ing an d g ive s b irth to -
a so n who b e co m e s a n otab le h e ro ; s om e t i m e s a youn g m an w e d s
a su p e rna tur a l g i rl a s th e Thu n d e r s D a u g hte r or th e S n a k e G irl
,
’
,
th e re by w inning s e c re t s an d p ow e rs wh i c h m a k e h i m a g re a t t he u r
g i s t ; s om e t i m e s it is th e m a rri a g e of th e d ea d a n d th e livin g ; fre
qu en t l y th e uni o n O f wom e n w i th a ni ma l s is th e th e m e a n d a ,
s to ry fo un d th e l e n g th of th e c o n t in e n t t e lls O f a g irl ren d e re d p re g
n a n t by a d o g g ivin g b ir th t o c h il d re n who b e c om e h u m a n wh e n s h e
,
s t e a l s th e ir do g d is g u i se s Th is l e g e n d is f re q u en t l y tol d w i th th e .
e p is od e fou n d in th e t r ad i t i o n of th e in c es t of s u n b roth er a n d mo on -
S is t e r : t h e g i r l is a p p roa c h e d by ni g ht a n d su c c ee d s in i d e n t i fy in g
h e r l ove r o nl y by s m e a rin g h i m w i th p ain t o r a s h e s S ee Not e s 1 3 .
,
32 50
,
Text r eferen ces : C h I v ( RA SM U SS E N p 1 0 4 ; B OAS [a ] p
. . .
,
.
, .
6 37 ; R I N K N o C h I I v i ( MOON E Y [b ] p p 34 5
,
. Ch . .
,
. .
IV ii ( MOON E Y [b ] p
. C h VI i ( MO R IC E Tra ns a ctio ns of
,
. . .
,
the Ca n a d i a n I ns ti tu te v 28 C h IX v ii (M C S T EVE N SON
,
. . . . .
[c] p 32 ; CU S H I N G [b ] p p 399
,
. Ch X v ( D IX ON [c] N o ,
.
—
. .
, .
7 ; [b ] No s 1 2 ; CU R T I N [a ]
,
. Two S i s t e rs
, , 4
18 TR ANSM IGRAT I ON
. B e li e f in t he p o s si b ili ty o f re b ir th is g e n
.
eral a l tho u g h s om e t ri b e s th i n k that o nl y yo u ng c h il d re n m ay b e
,
r ei n c a rn at e d an d c ert ain of th e C a li fo rni a n s who p r a c t ise c re m a
,
N OTE S 28 1
t i o n b u ry t he b o d i e s of c h il d ren that th ey m a y th e m ore e asil y b e
re bo rn Ag a in re b i rth is a p p a re n t l y e asi e r fo r s o u ls that ha v e
.
,
p a sse d to th e u n d e rwo rl d tha n fo r tho se wh o se a bod e is th e s k y .
The B ell a C oo l a a ll ow n o re i n c a rn a t i o n fo r tho se who ha ve d ie d a
s eco n d d e ath a n d p a s se d to t h e l ow e s t u n d erwo rl d See N o t e s 10 .
,
20 4 6
,
Tex t r efe re n ces : C h I vi ( RA SM U S S E N p
. . C h V ii
.
,
. . .
,
viii (J O D O R S E Y [d ] p
. . C h XI iv ( B OAS [j] p p 27
,
. . .
,
.
19 .CAN N I B A L S AND MA N EA T E R s C a n ni ba ls o c cur in ma n y
- .
—
s t o ri e s Th ree fo rm s o f a n th ro p o p ha g y p r a c t i se d un t il r e c en t l y by
.
,
No rth Am e ri c a n t ri b e s a re to b e d is t in g u i sh e d : ( I ) th e d ev o u ring
,
o f a p o rti o n of th e body e sp e c i a ll y th e h e a r t o r b lood of a sl a i n
, ,
wa rri o r in o rd e r to o bta in his s t re n g th or c o ur a g e ( c f ] R i 26 8 ; . .
D e Sm e t p , ( 2) c ere mo ni a l c a nni b a li sm e sp e c i a ll y in th e
.
,
N orth VVe st wh e re i t is a ss o c i at e d w i th t h e C a nni ba l So c i e ty ; ( 3)
—
,
c a nni ba li s m fo r fo o d Th is l att e r fo rm e xc e p t un d e r s t re s s o f fam ine
.
, ,
is r a re in rec e n t t i m e s a l thou g h a rc ha e o l o g i c a l e v i d e n c e i nd i c at e s
,
that i t wa s fo rm e rl y w i d e s p re ad Th e ill re p ut e b o rn e by th e —
.
To n kawa is a n i n d i c at i o n of th e f e e li n g a g a i n st th e c u s tom wh i c h , ,
o n th e who l e th e c anni ba l myth s su b s ta n t i at e ( c f C h VI I I V )
,
—
. . . .
In m a n y l eg en d s th e an t h ro p O p h ag ist s w i fe a p p e a rs a s a p ro t ec ’
t or o f h is p ros p e c t i v e vi c t i m a s in Eu rop e a n ta l e s of og re s a n d i t
, ,
“ ”
is in t ere st in g to fi nd th e F e fo fu m ep i s od e of En g lis h fol k l o re -
“ ”
recurrin g in n u m erou s s tories Th e g risl y c a nni ba l b ab e t r ad i .
t i o n of th e Es k i m o h a s a kin d of p a r a ll e l in a Mo n ta n a t ale ( C h .
V I I v i) ; wh ile th e ob verse mot ive of th e ol d fem a l e c a n ni ba l who
.
,
lures c h il d ren to th eir d es t ru c t i o n is a f re q uen t No rth W e st s to ry ,
—
.
Le g en d s of m an e at i n g b e a rs a nd li o ns are t o b e exp ec t e d ; th e m an
-
d evou ring b ird of t he Pl at e a u re g ion is m ore difl i c u lt to e xp l a in ,
tho u g h th e i d e a m ay b e c o nn e c t e d w i th that of th e Thu n d e rb ir d
a n d t h e d e s t ru c t iv e n e ss of li g htnin g See N o t e s 2 37 Text refer .
,
.
e n ces : C h I V i ( RA SM U S S E N p 1 8 6 ; R I N K N O
. . C h IV V II
,
.
,
. . . .
C h VI I iii (TE I T [a ] N o
. . v i (O D WH EE L ER The Tr a il of
,
. . .
,
Lewis a nd Cla r k N ew Yo r k 1 90 4 11 74 ; c f MC D ER MOTT N o 5
, , ,
. .
,
.
,
wh ere Coyo t e ta k es veng e a n c e on th e b a b e) C h VI I I ii Ch . . . . .
XI ii ( B OAS [f] Pp 37 2 7 3; lg ] xxii 5 6 7 ; L
.
, il PP 8 3 9 0 ; B OAS
—
,
.
, , ,
~
—
an d HU NT iii ( B OAS [f] p p 394 4 66 ; [g ] xv 9 ; xvii 8 9 ; xx 8 ;
,
.
—
,
. .
,
.
S WANT O N [a ] c h xi) ,
. .
20 .N AM E S AND S O UL S G ho s t s a n d s ou ls a re very g ener a ll y
.
-
d is t in g uis h e d The d ise mbod ie d sou l o r s p i ri t is myth ic a ll y co n
.
, ,
c eiv e d a s rela t e d to fi re an d w i n d a n d a s t ransien t l y h u ma n i n ,
fo rm so m e t i m es a s a m a ni k in N am e s a lso h ave a k in d of p erson
,
.
a li ty In d ivi d u a ls b eli eve d to b e t h e re in c a rn at ion of o n e d e ad are
.
g iven th e s a m e a pp ell at i o n a s that bo r n e by h i m an d Curt in t e lls ,
a s tory of a b ab e that p e rsis t en t l y c rie d un t il c a lled by th e rig ht na m e
28 2 N O RTH AME R I CAN MYTHO LO G Y
A c u r i o us c u s to m o f ren am in g a livin g m a n aft er a d ea d
p .
c h i e f , that t h e C ha r a c t e r a n d t r a i t s of th e d e p art e d m ay n o t b e
l o st , is d e sc ri b e d by th e J esui t Fath e rs (j R xxii 28 9 ; xxv i 1 55 . .
Se e Not e s 1 2, 1 8 , 53 Text referen ces : C h I vi ( S T E FAN SSON , p p . . . .
C h I I I v ( D E S M ET, p p C h V ii
—
—
10 4 7
39 5 . . . . . .
C h VI I v i ( LOW I E [b ] , No s 38 , 39 ; TE I T [b ] , p p 34 2, 358 ; [d ] ,
. . . .
p .
—
C h XI iii ( B OAS
.
[f] , p p 4 1 8 ff ; [
. j ] , p vii ( B OAS . .
[f] , p 4 8 2 ; [g ] , xiii 2, 6 ; S WANTON [a ] , p
. . .
21 . O R D E A L S —
O r d e a ls m ay b e c l a ssi fi e d a s fo ll ow s : ( I ) ini t ia
.
t i o n t ri a ls a n d t o rtu re s , o f wh i c h fl o gg ing a n d fa s t ing a re th e co m
m o n e st m ethod s ; ( 2) t ri a ls of a wa rri o r s fort i tu d e, in th e fo rm s
’
of to rture of c a p t ives , exp i ato ry s a c ri fi c es a n d p u rifi c at io n s o f m en
s e tt i n g o u t o n th e w ar-p ath , a n d fu l fi l m en t of a v o w fo r d e liver a n c e
f rom p eril or evil ; th e fam ous Su n-D a n c e to rture s b el o ng to th e
l atte r c l a ss ; b o dy s c arring an d th e Off e rin g of fi ng e r-j o in t s a re fre
q u en t m o d es of exp ia t i o n ; ( 3) p uni s hm en t for c r i m e es p e c i a ll y m ur ,
d er ; ( 4) m ou rnin g c us to m s i nv olvi n g m ut il at i o n an d ha r d s h i p p ar ,
t ic u l a rly s evere fo r w i d ow s ; ( 5) du e ls es p ec i a ll y t h e m a g i c al d u e ls ,
of s ham a ns wh i c h ran g e f ro m s at iri c a l s o ng d uels to c o n t es t s of s k ill
,
-
resul t i ng in d eg r ad a t ion o r ev en d e ath for th e d efea t ed Tex t refer .
e n ces : C h I vi ( RA SM U SS E N p
. . C h V vi C h IX iv ,
. . . . . . .
C h X v i ( F RA C HT E N B E R G [a ] N o
. .
,
.
22 O R P H AN S AND P OO R B OYS
. Ta les o f orp h ans an d p oo r b o y s .
who a re n eg lec t e d a n d p ersecu t e d fo rm a who le b o dy of li t e r a
”
t u re s econ d in ext en t onl y to th e Tri c k st e r Trans fo rm er s tories
,
- .
The retu rn of th e h ero aft er a j o urney to s om e b e n e fi c e n t g o d who , ,
oft e n is h is fath er a n d h is su b se q u en t e leva t ion to p ow er a s a c h i e f
, ,
or m ed i c ine-m a n are recurren t m ot ives The who le g rou p m ig ht
,
.
b e c a ll e d Wh i tt in g ton s tories b u t th ere are m a n y v a ri at ions Text ,
.
referen ces : C h I Vi Ch IV V ii Ch VI V ii ( G A D O R S E Y
— —
. . . . . . . . . .
”
[e] m a k es a c lass of B o y Hero s tories m an y o f th em t ales of ,
o rp ha ns ) C h VI I I iv
. . . .
23 Th e F ive N at i o ns or t ri b es o f th e ori g inal Iro q uois Con f e d
.
,
c r a c y in c lu d e d th e Mohaw k O n e i da O n o n da g a C ay u g a a n d S en e c a ;
, , , , ,
l ater th e Tu s c aror a were adm i tt e d wh en c e th e leag ue is a lso c a lle d ,
th e Six N at ions .
24 A G R IC UL T U R E
. P u m p k ins s q u a s h b eans s w ee t p otato es
—
, , , ,
a n d tob a c c o a re oth er c r o p s c u l t iv at e d in v a ri o us lo c a li t ies by t h e
ab ori g i nes W il d ri c e and th e s e e d s of g r a s ses w ere g ath e re d ; roo t s
.
a n d w il d f rui t s w ere ea t e n ; in th e m a p l e-t re e zo ne m a p le su g a r is a
n at ive food an d p a rt i c ul a rl y in th e fa r W e s t a c o rn m e a l fo r m s a n
,
i m p ort an t a rt i c le of ab orig in a l d ie t I t s e em s c erta in that th e Al g o n .
q u ia n s c a m e f rom th e nor th a n d le a rn e d a g ri c ul t ure o f th e s outh
e rn n at ions es e c iall y th e Iro q uois T h e n o r th ern Al g on q uians
p ,
.
28 4 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
s we at-b a th a unive rs a l N o rth Am e ri c a n ins t i tu t i on us ed fo r h ealin g ,
a n d p u r i fi c a t i o n a n d r eg a r d e d a s c a p a b le o f e ff ec t in g m a g i c a l t r a ns
,
fo rmat i o n s c o n s i s t s o f a s m a ll hu t l a rg e e nou g h fo r t he body of ,
t he p at i e n t wh i c h is fi ll e d w i th s t e am by m e a n s of wat e r th ro w n
,
u p o n h e at e d s t o n e s ( 2) Sto n e f e t is h e s p a r t i c u l a rl y n od ul e s c ru d e l y
.
,
rep resen ti ng a ni m a ls wh i c h a re so m e t i m es p a rt l y s ha p e d by ha n d
, ,
“
fo rm o n e of t he c ommo n e st ty p e s of p e r so n a l m e d i c ine ( c f e sp e .
c ia lly C u s h in g ( 3) S tones of a s p ec ial k in d a re fre qu en t l y u se d
s ymbo li c all y Th is is p a r t i c ul a rl y t r u e in th e So u th W es t wh e re
.
-
,
c ry s ta l tu rq uoise a n d b l a c k s to n e s a re s ymbo ls of li g ht th e b lue
, , ,
sky ,
a n d ni g ht Th e m a g i c p ro p e r t i e s o f wh i te s to n e s a n d c ry s ta l s
.
a p p e a r in myth s f ro m m a n y q u a r t e rs : i t is w i th c ry s ta l that th e
Es k i mo yo u th Sla y s th e Tu n e k ( see p a c ry s ta l is in th e h e ad .
of t he Ho rn e d S e rp e n t ( c f Note a su g g e s t i o n o f c ry s ta l g az i ng
.
-
is in th e C omo x myth r ec o r d e d by B oas viii wh e re th e .
s e rp en t g ives a t r a ns p a re n t s to ne to a m a n who th e re u p on fa lls a s
i f d e ad wh il e th e s to ne le ad s h is soul th ro u g h a ll l a n d s ( 4) R o c k s
,
.
i n s i tu a re ven e r at e d fo r v a rio u s rea s o n s a s se at s of p ow e r or as n a t ,
ural a l ta rs Myth i c th e m e s in wh i c h s ton e s are i m p o rta n t in c l u d e
.
( 1 ) s to ri e s o f th e p l a c i ng of fi re in fl i n t a n d q u a r tz ; ”( 2) s to ri e s of
“ ”
F lin t a n d th e Sto n e G i a n t s ; ( 3) Tr ave llin g R o c k s to ri e s ; (4 )
s to ri e s of re d hot ro c k s hu rle d by g i a n t s-
a p p a re n t l y vo l c a ni c —
myth s ; ( 5) s tori e s of ma g i c c ry s ta ls a n d j ew els ; ( 6) c o s mog oni e s w i th
a s to n e a s t h e e a rth k e rn e l ; a n d ( 7 ) s to ri e s of livin g b e i ng s c h ang e d
in to ro c k s thou g h s om et i m e s o n l y a p a rt of t he b o dy is so t rans
,
fo r m e d S ee N o tes 31 32 37 38 62 Text referen ces : C h I I iii
.
, , , ,
. . .
,
v ii.
—
Ch V ix ( F L E T C H ER a n d LA F LE S C H E p p 570
. . Ch ,
.
—
.
V I ii ( F L E T C H ER a n d LA F LE S C H E p p 56 5 7 1 : th e n am e of th e
.
,
.
—
” “
O m aha P e bb le So c i e ty I n hu gthi a thi n m e a ns li t e r a ll y,
th ey who , ,
h ave t he t r a nsl u c en t iii ( G A D O R S E Y [e] NO Ch . .
,
. .
VI I iii. C h VI I I i ii iii
. . C h IX iii .
, ,
. . . .
28 K ITS H I MAN I TO
. Th is t e r m is a p p aren t l y th e o ri g inal aft er
.
—
” “
w h i c h th e Eng lis h G re at S p i ri t is for m e d a n d Ho ff m a n [a ] re n d e rs ,
K it shi Ma ni d o
“ ” “ ”
a s G re at S p iri t Th is is a C h i p p e wa fo r m ; .
t h e Me n om in e e K is ha Ma ni do a n d Ma s ha Ma ni d o h e t ra ns
” “ ”
l ate s G re at My s tery o r G re at Un k n own
“ ” ”
53 B B E p 1 4 3
“
.
,
.
,
“
n ote s tate s : The wo r d m a n ido is d e fi n e d by B a ra g a a s sp iri t
,
‘
,
g ho s t The f o llow ing exp l a n at i o n of th e wo r d w as g i v e n by
’
.
R e v J A G ilfilla n : K ij ie Ma n ido li t e r a ll y h e who ha s h is o ri g in ‘
.
,
. .
,
f ro m n o o n e b u t h i m s el f th e Un c re at e d D e Sm e t p ass i m
, , ,
“ ”
e m p lo y s G re at S p iri t The c a se fo r a s p iri t su p re m e o v e r th e evil
.
fo rc e s of n at u re is n o t so C l e a r a s that for th e b e n e fi c e n t G re at S p iri t ,
a l tho u g h th e re is s om e e a rl y evi d en c e o f Al g on q u ian p roveni e n c e
that p o in t s s t ro ng l y in th is d ire c t ion Th us Le J eune in th e earl y .
N OTE S 28 5
Rela tio n o f 1 634 w ri tes : B esi d e s th ese foun d a t ions of th ing s g ood ,
th e y recog ni z e a Ma ni tou whom w e m ay c all th e d evil Th e y re ,
.
g a r d h i m a s th e o ri i n o f e v il ; i t is t r u e th a t th e y d o n o t a tt ri b u t e
g
g r e at m a li c e to th e M a ni t o u bu t to h is w i f e wh o,
is a re a l s h e-d evil
,
.
Th e h u sba n d do e s n o t hate m e n (] R vi Th e w i fe of Ma ni .
“
t o u w e a re i n fo r m e d i s
, t he c a u se o f a ll t h e d is e a s e s wh i c h a re in
,
”
t h e worl d (cf p a n d i t is p o s s i b le that s h e is th e Ti ta n e ss
. .
w ho w a s c a s t dow n f rom h e a v e n a s th e e a s t e rn c o s mo g o ni e s t e ll , ,
a n d f ro m who se body both b e n e fi c e n t a n d m a le fi c e n t fo r c e s a rise .
Moth e r Ea rth is o n th e who l e b e n e fi c e nt a l tho u g h In d i a n tho u g ht
, , ,
fl u c t u a t in g ly att r i b u t e s to h e r th e fo s t e rin g of n o x i ou s u n d e rwo rl d
B a c qu eville d e l a Poth e ri e H is to i re de l A m eri q u e s ep ten
'
p ow e rs
’
.
,
t r i o n a le P a ri s 1 7 53 i 1 2 1 ff
, ,
s ay s of t he n o r th e rn Al g o n qu i a ns w i th
,
. .
, ,
who m h e wa s a s so c i at e d that th e y re cog n i z e d a G ood S p iri t Qu i , ,
c he m a n i to u a n d a n e v il Ma tchi m a n i to u
, ,
b u t th e l att e r is C l e a rl y th e ,
“ ”
n am e fo r a m e d i c i n e s p iri t m a g i c a l r ath e r tha n e v il Th e s am e
,
.
s tat e m e n t is p rob ab l y t r u e w i th r e g a r d to t h e A b n a k i Mat si N io u a s k
w h i c h Abb é Ma u ra u lt c o n t r a s t s w i th th e g ood K e t s i N io u as k ( His
to i r e des Abe n a leis Qu e b e c 1 8 66 p p 1 8 , a n d we m ay s u p p o se
, ,
.
i t to have b e en th e o ri g in a l fo rc e of t h e Potawatom i d i st in c ti o n b e
twe en K c he m n it o g ood ness i t s e l f a n d Mc he m n it o w i c k e d n e ss
“
,
”
, ,
“
”
p e r s o ni fi e d re co rd e d by D e Sm e t p 10 79 Th e d evil is l e s s a mo r a l
, ,
. .
b e in g tha n a p hy s i o log i c a l con d i t i o n at le a s t in his abo ri g i n a l s tatu s ,
( c f th e H a d u i e p iso d e in I roq u o i a n c o s m og o n y He w i tt [a ] p p 1 9 7
.
, ,
.
2 0 1 232 36 333 3
,
—
,
Mit c he Ma n i to is d e s c ri b e d in th e Hi awath a
—
myth a s a se rp e n t a u n iv e rs a l s ymb ol
—
Th e Me n om in ee h a v e a
‘
.
,
n am e
“
Ma t sh e h awa it u k ( Hoff ma n [b ] p 225) for a si m il a r b ein g
”
,
. .
Se e Not es 3 6 Text r efer en ce : C h I I iv
,
. . . .
29 HU MAN S A C R I F I C E
. H u m a n s a c ri fi c e in o n e fo r m o r a n oth e r
.
, ,
a p p e a rs in ev e ry p a r t o f ab o ri g in a l A m e r i c a I t is n e c ess a ry to d is .
t in g u is h how ev e r Sp o r ad i c p ro p i t i at i o n s f r om c u s toma r y a n d r i tu a l
, ,
i st ic off e rin g of h u ma n li fe Th e l att e r n o r th of Me xi co is r a re .
, , .
( 1 ) The s a c ri fi c e of c a p t i v e s ta k e n in wa r f re q u e n t l y w i th b urning ,
a n d o th e r to r t u re s wa s p a r t l y in th e n atu re of a n ac t of v e n g e a n c e
,
a n d a t ri a l of f or t i t u d e p a r t l y a p r o p i
,
t i at i o n of t h e M a n e s o f th e
d e ad ; c a p t ive s m ad e by a w a r p a rty w e re mu c h mo re li k e l y to b e -
s p a re d i f i t ha d su ff e re d n o c a s u a l t i e s Th e t e a rin g o u t a n d ea t in g of .
th e h e a r t of a s l a i n e n e my o r s a c ri fi c e d c a p t ive wa s n o t unus u a l th e ,
i d e a b e ing that th e e at e r thu s r ec e ive s t h e c o ur a g e of th e sl a i n m a n
(cf ] R i
. . Th e s ymbo li s m of t he h e a r t a s th e s e at of li fe a n d
s t reng th o c c u rs in n u mb e rl e ss myth i c fo r m s a n d r e a c h e s i t s ex
t re m e c on se qu en c e s in t h e Mexi c a n h u m a n s a c ri fi c e s t h e u su a l for m ,
of wh i c h con sis t e d in O p e n ing t h e b re a s t a n d d r aw ing fo rth t h e h e a r t
o f th e vi c t i m P o s s i b l y th e myth i c re feren c es t o th is for m o f offerin g
.
,
28 6 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
o c c urri ng th e S o u th-W e s t ( c f M C S teve nson [b ] p p 34 39
in . . .
, .
, ,
45 , p o i n t to a li k e c us to m m ore or less re m o t e ( 2) Th e s a c ri fi c e
, .
o f c h il d re n e s p ec iall y orp ha ns is n ot un co mmo n A nu mb er of
, , .
in sta n c e s a re m e n t i o ne d in th e Creek m ig ra t i o n l eg en d ( Cf C h IV -
. . .
v ii) ; in th e c o s mo g o n i e s of th e P u e b lo I n d ians th e re a re re fe ren c e s
to t he s a c ri fi c e of c h il d ren to wat e r mo ns t ers a ri t e ob viousl y rel at e d ,
t o t h e N a h u at l a n off e r in g o f C h il d re n t o th e tla lo q u e or wat er-g o d s ; ,
th e myth a l so a p p e a rs amo ng th e P i m an-Yu m an t ri b e s a n d d o u b t ,
l e s s refers t o th e s am e p r a c ti c e D e S m e t m en t i o ns a Col u mb ia R iver .
i n sta n c e of a c h il d offere d to th e Ma nes of o ne of i t s co m p ani o ns
( D e Sm e t p , ( 3) Th e sa c ri fi c e o f slaves es p e c iall y in th e ri t es
.
,
of th e C a nni b al S oc ie ty p revaile d un t il rec en t l y o n th e N orth-Wes t
,
C o as t a n d is m en t i o ne d in th e myth s of th is reg ion (4 ) Th e mo s t
,
.
n otab le ins ta n c e of ri tualis t i c sa c ri fi c e is th a t o f th e S k i d i P a w nee ,
wh o form e rl y o ffe re d a fe m ale c a p t ive t o th e Morning St ar in a n
annu a l c e re mon y for th e fert ili zat ion of th e m a i z e fi e ld s S ee —
N o t e s 9 1 9 2 1 58 Text referen ces : C h I I iv (j R xxxi x
, , , . . . .
C h IV iv vii ( G A TSC H ET
. .
,
C h V i ( D E S M E T p p 9 77 —
. .
,
.
8 8 g ives an a cco u n t o f th e sa c ri fi c e o f a S iou x g irl by th e S k i d i
,
P aw n e e ) — Ch VI I I ii vi ( D U B O I S p 1 8 4 ; B O U R K E [b ] p 1 8 8 ;
. . .
, ,
.
,
.
R U S S E LL p p 2 1 5 ,
C h IX iv v v i v ii ( M C S T EVE N SO N
.
—
. .
, , ,
. .
[b ] PR 34 4 5 4 7 6 7 ; [c ] PP 2 1 30 4 6 6 1 I 7 6 ; CU S H I N G [b]
, , , , , , , , , ,
p
30 . CA LU M E T AND TO B ACC O R I T E S
TH E The use o f tob a cc o is .
—
of Am e ri c a n o rig in As s m o k e d in p i p es i t is No rth Am eri c a n c i g ars
.
,
a n d c i g a re tt es b e in g th e c o mm on form s in L at in p or t ions of th e
c o n t in e n t The N a va ho P u e b lo an d o th er So u th W e s te rn p eo p les
.
, ,
-
g ener a ll y e m p lo y c i g a re tt e s b o th for s m o k in g a n d fo r r i t u a lis t i c
use tho u g h th e p i p e is n ot un k nown to th em The ri tual of th e
,
.
c e re m onial p i p e o r c a lu m e t is th e m os t i m p or tan t of all N ort h
, ,
Am e ri c an reli g i o us fo r m s a n d is c e r ta inl y an c ien t el abo r at e p i p es
, ,
b e ing a mon g th e m os t in t eres t ing obj ec t s rec overe d f ro m p re h is to ri c
mo un d s The ri t e is essen t i a ll y a form a l add ress t o th e worl d—p owers ;
.
i t s use in c ou n c ils a n d o th e r form al m eet ing s n aturall y m a d e th e
p i p e a s y m b ol o f p e a c e as th e to mah a wk w as a to k e n o f w ar C f
, . .
N o tes 6 31 63 Text referen ces : C h I I iv V ( c f D E S M E T p p
, ,
. . .
,
.
,
.
394 6 8 1 100 8 1 1 an d In d ex)
, ,
—
Ch V iv ( F L E T C HER an d LA
,
.
—
. .
F L E SC H E p ,
C h VI v ii
. C h VI I I i V . . . . .
, .
1 T H W O R L D Q U A R T ER S AND COLOU- R -S YM B O L I SM NO i d e a —
3 . E .
m o re c ons t an t l y in fl uen c es In d i a n ri t es th an that of th e fou rfo l d
d ivision of th e e a rth s surfa c e in c onj un c t i o n w i th th e con cep t ion
’
,
o f a worl d a b ove a n d a worl d b elow The four q uarters tog eth e r .
,
w i th th e u p p er a n d th e un d er worl d s fo rm a si xfol d p a rt i t ion of ,
th e cos m os a ffor d ing a k in d of na t ur a l c l a ssi fi c a t ion of th e p resi d in g
,
28 8 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
Th un d e rb i rd s S o m e t i m e s t he Thu n d e rb ir d is d e s c ri b e d as h u g e
.
,
c arry ing a l a k e o f wat er o n h is b a c k a n d fla s h in g li g htnin g s f ro m
h is e y e s ; s om e t i m e s a s s ma ll li k e s om e o r d in a ry b i r d in a p p e ar ,
a n c e eve n t h e h u mm i ng b ir d o c c u rring a s a n anal o g y V e ry oft e n -
.
”
t he b e i n g is t he m e d i c i n e or tu t e l a ry of o n e who ha s see n h im
in v i si o n a n d Thu n d e rb ir d e ffi g i e s a re c ommo n amo n g t he Pl a ins
,
t ri b e s Al mo s t t he o n l y t ri b a l g rou p s u n a c qu a i n t e d w i th th e c o n
.
c e p t a re t h e I roquo i s in th e Ea s t wh o se D ew Ea g le is re l at e d t o
, ,
t h e Thu n d e r b ir d i d e a a n d s om e of t h e t r i b e s of th e fa r W e s t an d ,
t h e So u th W e s t s u c h a s th e Zu fi i who r e g a r d th e th u n d e r as m ad e by
-
, ,
th e g a m ing s t o n e s ro ll e d by th e c e l e s t i a l R a i n Ma k e rs a n d t he li g ht -
ning a s t he a rrow s o f c el e s t i a l Arc h e rs I t is n otab le th a t a hu g e .
m a n d e v o u ri n g b ir d a p p e a rs in th e mytho l o g i e s of th e S o u th—W e s t
-
e rn p e o p l e s f rom who s e l o re th e Th u n d e r b i r d is a b s e n t
, See N o t e s .
T t r efere n ces : C h I I vi ( C ON VER S E 6—
2 ,
27 33 5 ,
0 e x ,
.
p p 3 44 ; . .
,
.
j R v 22 3;
. x 45 a n d note 3; S C H OO L C RAFT [b ] p a rt iii p
.
, , ,
.
C h V ix ( D E S M E T p p 936 9 4 5 ; F L E T C H ER a n d LA F L E S C H E p p
. .
,
.
, ,
.
1 22 C h VI iii The b eli e f that s to ne a xes a rrow h e ad s a n d
. . .
,
—
,
”
c e l t s are th un d e rs to nes or li g htning bo l t s is w orl d w i d e ( c f C - -
. .
B L I N K E N B ER G The Thu n derweap o n i n Reli gi o n a nd F o lk lo re C a m
, ,
b ri d g e The c ul t of th e li g htnin g in al m os t it s Ro m an for m
, ,
i e th e e re c t i o n of b i d en ta li a wa s p r a c t is e d by t h e Pe ruvi a ns ( GA R
. .
,
C I LA SSO D E L A V E G A Ro ya l Co mm en ta ri es boo k ii c h i ) ; a n d a , , ,
.
si m il a r s u g g e s t i o n is fou n d in th e St ru c k b y Li g htning F r at e rni ty - —
of t he Zu fi i ( M C S T E VE N SON The O m a ha ha ve a Th u n d er
. .
“
So c i e ty ( F L E T C H ER an d LA F L E SC H E p
”
who se ta lis ma n is ,
.
a b l a c k s to ne su gg e s t ive enou g h o f th e b la c k ba e ty l b ro u g ht to
—
Ro m e 20 5 B C as a n i m a g e o f R h e a C yb ele or o f th e hoa ry san c t i ty
,
. .
,
-
,
of th e B l a c k Sto ne of Me c c a C h VI I iii iv ( LOW I E [b ] p 231 ; . . .
, ,
.
P OW E LL p ,
C h VI I I iv ( MATT H E W S [a ] p p 26 5 7 5 ; [c]
.
—
. .
,
.
—
,
p p .1 4 3 C h IX i iii—
( M C S T EVE N SON [
.c ] p p 6.
5 1 77 ,
. .
,
.
, ,
3 0 8 ,
C h X v ( F R A C H T E N B E R G [a.
] N o 2) ; . v i ( D IX ON [c ] ,
.
,
No 3; KR O E B ER [c] p
. Ch XI ii ( S WANTON [e] p 4 54 ; ,
.
—
. .
,
.
B OA S [j ] P 4 7 ; . Paf f i m ) .
33 R I P VA N W I N K L E
. In a no t e t o Rip Va n Wi n k le Irvi n g .
—
,
d e sc ri b e s an In d i a n g odd ess of th e C at skills who p resi d es ove r th e
c l oud s c on t rols th e w in d s a n d th e r a ins
,
a n d is c l e arl y a m e t e o r o ,
log i c a l g eni u s Sh e m ay b e a th un d er s p iri t a ls o for th e in c i d e n t of
.
,
t h e g n om e s p l ay in g at n in e p ins a n d so p ro d u c in g th e th un d e r h as a , ,
p a r a ll e l in th e Zu fi i R a in Ma k ers wh o c a u s e t he th un d er by a si m il a r
-
,
c e l e s t i a l g am e w i th r o llin g s ton e s The in c i d en t o f fo res hor t e n e d .
t i m e y e ars b e ing p asse d in th e illusi o n O f a b ri e f s p a ce o c c urs in
, ,
s eve ral s to ri e s of visi t s to th e Th un d er ; b u t th is is a co mm on th e m e
in t al e s of g ues t s h i p w i th all kin d s o f su p ern atur a l b ein g s Text .
N OTE S 28 9
r e eren ces : C h I I v i ( MO ON E Y [b ] p p 34 5
. . Ch I I I v i ,
.
-
. . .
C h IV v ( MOON E Y [b ] p
. . C h VI I 11 (J H W I LL I AM S The
,
. . . . .
,
Mo u nta in tha t Was Go d Ta c o m a , ,
34 MOT H E R EA R T H Th e p e r so ni fi c at i o n o f th e Ea r th a s th e
—
. .
,
m oth e r o f li f e a n d th e g iv e r of food is a f e atu re o f th e univ e rs a l ,
mytho l o g y o f m a n k i n d I t p rev a ils ev e rywh e re in N o rth A m e ri c a .
,
e xc e p t amo n g th e Es k i m o wh e re t h e c o n c e p t i o n is r e p l a c e d by th a t ,
of th e u n d e r se a woma n Food D i sh a n d o n t he No r th W e s t Co a s t
-
, ,
-
,
wh e re se a d e i t i e s a g a in a re th e i m p o r t an t food g ive rs an d th e un d er -
,
wo rl d wo ma n is n o mo re tha n a s u bt e rr a n e a n Ti ta n e ss In m a n y .
l o c a li t i e s th e myth o f th e m a r ri a g e of t he S ky o r Su n w i th t he Ea rth
is C l e a rl y e xp re s se d a s is to b e e xp e c t e d o f t he mo s t n atu ral of a ll
,
a ll e g o ri e s Th e n ot i o n that th e d e ad a re bu ri e d to b e bo rn a g a in
.
f rom t he wo mb of Ea rth is fou n d in A m e ri c a a s in t he O ld Wo rl d ( c f .
A D i e t e r i c h Mu tte r Er de B e r lin
.
, a n d th e re is mo re th an o n e , ,
t r a c e of th e b e li e f in an o ri fi c e by wh i c h t he d e ad d e s c e n d i n t o th e
b o dy of Ea rth a n d f rom wh i c h sou l s a s c e n d to b e re bo rn D e S m e t .
( p 1 37 8 ) m e n t ions a c av ern in t he Y e ll o w s to n e r eg i o n wh i c h th e
.
“
In d i a ns n am e d th e p l a c e of c om ing o u t a n d g o in g in of u n d e r — -
g r ou n d s p i ri t s a n d th e S ou th W es,
t e r n n ot ion of t h e S i a u is a n
p p
-
in sta n c e in p oin t ; o th er exa m p l e s a p p e a r in th e mythol o g i e s of th e
C re e k K i owa an d Ma n d a n In th e Sou th-W e s t wh e re la rg e g rou n d
, ,
.
,
n e s t in g s p i d ers a bo un d th e S p i d er Wo m an see m s to b e a myth i c ,
in c a rna t i o n o f th e e a r th ; tho u g h else wh e re v e ry g en e rall y th is in , ,
s e c t is ass o c i at e d w i th a e ri a l a s c e n t s to a n d d e sc e n t s f ro m th e s k y ,
b y m e a ns of we b hu n g ba s ket s a n d S p i d e r i t s e l f is oft e n m a s c uline
-
, .
I n th e F ore s t a n d P l a ins reg i o n s th e c on c e p t i o n O f th e li fe o f th e e a rth
a s d ue to a Ti ta n e s s fa ll e n f ro m h e a v e n is th e c ommo n o n e ; a n d th e
, ,
m a g i c G r a n dmoth e r who a p p e ars in so m an y h e ro -myth s is c e r ta inl y
i n s om e c a se s a p ersoni fi c at ion o f th e earth Se e Not e s 7 1 1 1 8 .
, , ,
2 8 35 4 3 7 0
, ,
Tex t r eferen ces : C h I I vii ( H E W I TT [a ] p
,
. . .
,
.
C h V vii ( F L E TC H ER p p 31 1 90 7 2 1 et p ass i m ; F L E T C H ER a n d
. .
,
.
, ,
LA F LE S C H E p p 37 6 ff ; c f F L E T C H ER ,
. A Stu dy o f O maha In d i a n
. .
,
Mu si c in A r chaeo lo gica l a nd Ethno lo gi ca l P a p ers Pe abody Mu seu m
”
, , ,
1 8 9 3 i ; H B A L E X AND ER
,
.The Mys tery of Life C h i c a g o
.
, , ,
C h VI ii ( J O D O R S E Y [d ] p
. . . . C h VI I I v v i C h IX ,
. . .
,
. . .
i ii vii ( M C S T EVE N SON [b ] p 22 ; CU S H I N G [b ] p 37 9 ; F E W K E S
,
. .
,
.
, .
If] , p 68 8 )
35 C O R.N S P I R I TS S p iri t s o f th e m a i z e a n d o th e r c ul t iva t e d
.
—
p l a n t s are p ro m i n e n t fi g ur e s in th e mytho log ies O f all th e a g ri c ul tu r a l
p e o p l e s O r d in a ril y
. th e y a re f e m inin e th e A l g on q uian M on d am in ,
b e ing an exc e p t ion Corn S qu a s h a n d B e a n fo r m a ma i d e n t ri ad in
.
, ,
I roq u ois lore an d in t h e S ou th W e s t th e re is a wh ole g ro u p o f ma i d en
,
-
C orn S p iri t s Hop i g irls of m arri a g ea b le ag e w ear th eir h air in two
.
29 0 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
wh orl s a t t he si d e s of t he h e ad i m i tat in g th e s q u a s h b losso m wh i c h , ,
i s w i th th e m t he s ymbo l of f e rt ili ty A s a rule C o rn S p iri t s a re fa r .
mo re vi ta l in ri tu a l tha n in myth Ea rs of m a i z e are i m p ortan t a s .
s acra o r f e t i s h e s in nu m e rous ri t es es p e c iall y in th e S ou th W e s t a n d
-
,
amo ng t he P awn e e wh o Sh ow m an y So u th Wes t ern a ffini t ie s ; e a rs
,
-
a n d g r a i n s of d i ff e ren t c ol o urs a re c ons p i c uous in th e s ymbo lis m of
t h e worl d q u a r ters ; b l ad es a n d s t alks a re o ft e n e m p lo y e d in ad o rnin g
-
a l t ars ; a n d corn m e a l [ma i z e flo ur] is in c o ns ta n t use in S ou th-W e st
e rn c er e m oni a l A si m il a rl y ri tu a lis t i c use is mad e of o th e r p l a n t s
. .
In th e So u th-Wes t th e c rea t ion of m e n f ro m e a rs of m a i z e is a fre
q u en t in c i d en t S ee N ot e s 7 24 31 34 39 Tex t refe ren ces : C h
.
, , , ,
. .
I I vii ( C ON VER S E p p 6 3 66 ; S M I T H p
.
, C h I I I i (] R x
.
—
,
.
—
. . .
viii Ch IV iv ( MOON E Y [b ] p p 24 2
.
—
. Ch V v ii
.
,
.
—
. .
( F L E T C H ER ) Ch VI iii ( G A D O R S E Y [h] N os 3 7 ; c f [e]
.
—
. . . .
, .
—
.
,
No . V II C h VI I I i 11
. C h IX iii v v i ( F EW K E S [b ] p p
. .
,
. . .
, , ,
.
29 9 30 8 ; [
—
e] p p 22 58 1 1 8 ; [f] p 696 ; M C S T EVE N S ON [c] p p
,
.
, , ,
. . .
, .
29 32 4 8 57 ; CU S H I N G [ b] p p 39 1 9 8 430
— - —
.
, , ,
3 6 F
. A I R I E S T h e fa ir y fo l k o
. f In d i a n myth are g ener a ll y d i m in
u tive a n d m is c h ievo us A rom an t i c ve rsi o n o f th e myth of th e ma r .
r ia g e o f a h u ma n h ero w i th a s ky g irl is g ive n by A bb é Em Dom e ne c h - .
Y ea rs Res i den ce i n the Grea t D es erts of N o rth A m eri ca , Lo n
’
( Seven
d o n , 1 8 60 , i 30 3 wh i c h h e c a lls th e Leg en d of th e Ma g i c Ci r c le
.
“
o f th e P r a i ri e s Th ere are o n th e p rai r ies , h e sa y s , C irc les d en u d e d
”
.
of veg e tat i o n wh i c h so m e a tt ri b u t e to b u ff a l o es , wh ile o th ers re g a r d
th e m as t r a c es of an c ien t c ab ins The myth t ells of a h un t er wh o .
s aw a ba s k e t c o n ta inin g sin g in g m ai d ens d es c en d f rom th e s k y t o
su c h a c i rc le wh e re th e g irls d a n c e d a n d p l ay e d w i th a b rillian t b all
, .
H e su c c e e d e d in c a p tu ring o n e o f th e g i rls wh o b e c a m e h is w i fe ; ,
h om e si c k for th e s k y wo rl d s h e w i th th eir b aby reas c en d e d t o th e
- -
, , ,
h e a ven d u ring th e h un ter s a b sen c e ; b u t h er s ta r fath er c o mma n d e d ’
-
h e r t o re t urn to e a rth a n d b ring to th e s k y h er h us b an d w i th t ro ,
p h i e s of ev e r y k in d of g am e A ll th e s k - e o le c ho se
y p p ea c h for .
,
h i m sel f a t ro p hy ; an d th ey w ere th en m e t a m orp hose d in to th e c o r
,
res p o n d in g ani ma ls th e h u nter h is w i fe a n d so n b eco m ing fal cons
, , , .
The d an c i n g a n d sing ing s ky-g irls on th e m a g i c c irc le c er ta inl y s u g , ,
g es t th e fa iry da n c es an d f airy rin g s o f Europ ean fol k lore Text - .
refere n ces : C h I I vii ( CO P W A Y ; C O N VER S E p p 10 1 0 7 ; S M I T H p p —
. . .
, , .
6 5 6 7 ; MOON E Y [b ] N os 74
—
C h IV v i ( MO ON E Y [b ] p p
, .
, . .
, .
330
37 . G RE AT H E AD S CAN N I B A L HE AD S ,
ETC ,
P U R S U I N G RO C K S , .
Myth s of h e ad s th a t p ursue in or d e r to d evo ur o r d es t roy are fo u n d
in every p a r t o f A m eri c a In so m e ins ta n ces th ey have o b vi o us .
s ig n ifi c a t io n s b u t i t is no t d i ffi c ul t t o sur m ise th a t th e i d ea is ol d er
,
th an th e m eaning s Possi b l y i t is connec t e d w i th th e c us tom of d e
.
29 2 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
t i o n in e a s t e rn C a n ad a a n d N ew En g l a n d a n d m a y refer to roc ky ,
re c e sse s in wh i c h c o re s of ic e a re p re serv e d th ro u g h th e su mm e r .
Li k e o th e r g i a n t s th e Stone G i a n t s a re usu a ll y c a nni ba ls See N o t e s
,
.
2 1 9 37 4 6
, ,
Tex t referen ces : C h I I vii ( S M I T H p p 6 2 64 ; MOON E Y
,
. . .
,
.
—
[]b ,
N o s 8 6 7 p 5. 0 1 ; LE L AND
, p p 2
, 33 5 1 ; R. AND C ON VER S E ,
.
—
, ,
C h I I I i ii C h IV v i ( B U S H N E LL [a ] ; MOON E Y
. .
,
. . .
C h VI I ii ( P OW E LL p p 4 7 5 1 ; LO W I E [b ] p
. .
,
C h IX iii .
—
,
. . . .
C h X v ( MERR I AM p p 75
. .
,
.
39 TH E S E ASON S
. Th e se a so ns that a p p e a r in No r th Am eri c a n
.
myth are a l m o s t inv a ri ab l y two th e hot an d th e col d s u mm er an d , ,
w i n t e r O th e r d ivisi o ns of th e y e a r oc c u r e s p e c i a ll y am ong ag ric u l
.
,
tu r a l t ri b e s ( see 30 B B E a s g ove rning ri tu a l b u t eve n , ,
h ere th e fun dam en ta l p ar t i t ion of th e y e a r is twofo l d Wh a t m ay b e .
c a ll e d th e su p ern at ur a l d i v isi o n o f th e y e a r in to se a sons in one o f ,
wh i c h th e an ces t r a l g od s a re p re sen t a n d in th e oth er ab sen t w i th a ,
c o rre s p on d in g C l a ssi fi c a t io n o f ri t es is fo un d both in th e So u th -W es t ,
a n d o n th e P a c i fi c Coa s t a n d i t is in th e se two r e g ions li k ew ise tha t , , ,
w e m ee t th e in teres t ing s u g g e s t ion of a n t i p od es i e of un d erwo rl d . .
se a s o ns a l t erna t in g w i th tho se of th e wo rl d abo ve Everywh ere th e .
o p e n se a so n s p ring to autu m n is th e p e ri od in wh i c h th e g rea t
i nvo c at ions of th e p ow e rs of n ature ta k e p l a c e in su c h c ere m oni e s a s
th e B u s k ( C h IV iii ) th e Su n D a n c e ( C h V vi ) th e H a ko ( C h V
. .
,
- . .
,
. .
v ii) a n d th e S n a k e D a n c e ( C h
, IX V ) ; wh ile ri te s in ho n o ur of t he
- . .
d e ad o r of a n c e s t r a l a n d to te m i c Sp i r i t s o c cur ( like th e ir c lassi c a l
a n a lo g u e s ) in au tu m n a n d w in ter Text referen ces : C h I I viii ( CO N . . .
VER S E p p 9 6 100 ; R AND No s xl xlvi ; S C H OO L C RAFT [b ] p a r t iii
,
.
—
,
.
, , ,
p 324
. ob vi o usl y th e ori g in a l of th e form use d by Lo ng fellow
-
,
H i a wa tha c an to ii ; j R vi 1 6 1 ,
Ch IV iii ( GA TS C H ET [a ] .
—
. .
,
79 8 0 ; S P E C K j AF L xx 54 56 ; MA C CA UL E Y p p 522 23;
— —
pp . 1 ,
.
—
,
.
3 0 BBE vi ( MOON E Y [b ] p C h V ii v i ,
. . .
,
(30 B B E Su n D a n c e ; J O D O R S E Y [d ] p p 44 9 67 ; MOON E Y [C]
” —
. . .
, , ,
p p 24 2 44 ; MC CL I NTO C K c hh x i xx iii ; G A D O R S E Y [a ]
— —
. . . .
, ,
C h VI i ( LOFT H O U S E )
. . C h VI I iii (TE I T [a ] N o 1 0 ; [b ] p . . .
,
.
,
.
C h VI I I iv
. C h IX iv ( M C S T EVE N SON [c] p p 10 8 ff ;
. . . . . .
,
. .
F E W K E S [a] PP 255 fi ,
’
[e] PP 1 8 fi ; [f] P 69 2) C h X iv . .
,
( CU RT I N [a] C h XI iii ( B OAS [f] p p 38 3 ff
,
ff ) . .
,
. . ”
4 0 A .N I MA L E L D ER S O n e of th e m o s t d is t in c t ive of A m.e ri c a n
myth i c i d e a s is th e c o n cep t ion that every sp e c ies of a ni m a l is re p re
s en t e d by a n El d e r B e in g wh o is a t on c e th e a n ces tor an d p rot ec to r
of i t s k in d Th ese El d ers of th e Ki n d s a p p ear in v a ri o us roles Wh e re
. .
a food ani m a l is c on c e rne d d e e r b u ff a lo r abb i t s eal e t c t he , , , ,
.
fu n c t i o n of th e El d e r see m s to b e to c o n t inue th e su p p l y o f g am e ;
h e is n o t o ff en d e d by th e slau g ht e r of h is wa r d s p rovi d e d th e tab u s a re
p ro p e rl y o b serve d S om e t ri bes b elieve th a t th e bo n e s of d eer a re
.
N OTE S 29 3
reb orn as d eer an d so m us t b e p reserv e d or th a t th e bo n e s of fi sh
, ,
return e d to th e se a w ill b ec om e fi sh a g a in Ma n y myth s tell of p u n .
ish m en t w re a k e d u p o n th e h un t e r who c on t inues to s l ay a ft e r h is
food n e c essi t i e s a re s at i sfi e d The El d e r s of b e a s t s an d b i rd s of .
p re y a re t h e u s u a l tot e m s o r t u t e l a ri e s of h un t ers a n d wa r r i o rs ; th e
El d ers of sn a k e s ow ls a n d o th e r u n c a n n y c re at ure s a re su p p o s e d t o
, ,
i v e m e d i c ine p ow e rs D i
—
v in at io n by a n i m a l r e m a ins a n d t he use o f
g .
C ha rm s an d ta lis ma n s m ad e of a ni m a l p a rt s a re u n ivers a l Ma g i c .
a ni m a ls that ha v e th e p ow e r of a p p e a ri n g as m e n a n d m e n who c an
a ssu m e a ni m a l fo rm s o ccur a l o ng w i th s t o ri e s of th e s wa n s h i ft -
ty p e in wh i c h t h e b e a s t o r b ir d d is g u ise is s to len or l a i d a si d e a n d
,
-
hu ma n for m is re t ain e d F re q u en t l y a ni m a ls a ss u m e s ymb oli c r oles
. .
Th us t he p o rc u p i ne is a n a l m os t u n i v ers a l s ymbo l fo r t he su n a n d th e ,
m in k a n d re d h e ad e d wood p e c ke r a p p e a r in a li k e re l at ion ; th e b ear
-
is f re q uen t l y a n un d e rg ro u n d g e n ius a n d is con c e i v e d a s a p o w erful ,
b eing in th e Sp iri t worl d ; th e b i r d s are re g a r d e d a s in t erm e d iaries
-
b e tw e en m a n a n d th e p ow ers above ; th e t u r k e y in th e S ou th an d ,
th e So u th-W e s t is a myth i c e mb le m of fer t ili ty a n d a n in t e res t ing
, ,
ep iso d e in th e H a ko ri tu a l tells h ow th e tur k ey wa s rep l a c e d by th e
e a g le a s th e s ymb oli c le ad e r of th e ri te o n th e g ro un d th a t th e fe r ,
t ilit y o f th e t ur k e y wa s o ff se t by i t s l a c k of fore s i g ht in th e p ro t e c
t i o n of i t s nes t s ( F le t c h er p p 1 7 2 th e wh ole H a k o Cere mo n y
,
.
is d o m in ate d by b ir d s ymb olis m Ani m a l-b ein g s are r a rel y to b e re
- .
g a r d e d a s d e i t ies i n a n y s t r i c t s e nse R a th e r th e y a re p o w er ful g enii .
a n d in t er m e d i a ries b e tw een m e n a n d g od s In th e cos m og oni c c y c l e s .
th ree ani m a ls th e h are th e c oyo t e a n d th e r ave n a p p e a r a s c re at ive
, , , ,
a g en t s b u t th ey a re b e ing s th a t b el o ng to th e d o ma i n of myth r ath er
,
tha n to that of re li g i o n Two in c i d en t s in wh i c h a ni m a ls c o n sp ic u.
o u sly fi g ure a r e fo un d th e len g th a n d b re adth of th e c on t i n en t : ( 1 )
th e d ivi n g o f th e a ni m a ls aft er s o il f rom wh i c h th e e a r th m a y b e m a g i
c a ll y c r e at e d o r re new e d mo s t f re q uen t l y en c o un t e re d e as t of th e
R o c ky Mo u n ta ins a n d ( 2) th e th e ft of fi re
,
—
o r o f th e su n o r o f —
d ay li g ht by re l ay s of a ni m a ls who b e a r afa r th e b ra n d sn at c h e d o r
s to l en f ro m th e fi re k eep e r s The myth of th e ori g i n of th e a ni ma ls
- .
( Not e 4 1 ) is a l mo s t a s u b i qu i to us S ee Note s 3 4 5 9 1 3 1 8 4 6 4 7 .
, , , , , , , ,
8 T ex t referen ces : C h I I viii ( j R vi 6 ix — —
4 , 5 0 5 2 ,
. 1 59 1 ; 1 23 2 5; . . . .
xxxi x . Ch I I I i C h IV iv v i ( MOO N E Y
. . . Ch V . .
, . .
v ii ( F L E TC H E R ) C h VI vi ( th e leg en d of th e N ahu ra k a s h e re
. . .
recor d e d follow s a ve rsi o n g ive n by Wh i te Ea g l e Le t e k o t s Ta k a
a S ki d i c h ief to D r Me l v in R G il mo re re ce n tl y of th e N e b r a s k a State
,
. .
,
His to ri c a l S oc i e ty ; se e a ls o G R I N N E LL [c] p p 1 6 1 70 ; G A D O R S E Y ,
.
—
. .
[g] ,
No s 8 4 . vii,( M A LL ER Y 1 0 A R B E c h x) C h VI I iii , ,
. . . . .
C h IX iii v
. .
,
C h X v ( CU RT I N [a ] In t ro d ; MERR I AM
. . .
,
.
,
C h XI iv . . .
29 4 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
41 . O R I GI N AN I MA L S OF A N or th Am e ri c an myth
. foun d p ra e
t i c a ll y th ro u g ho u t t he c o n t i n en t t ells of th e relea se of th e a ni m als
f rom a c ave o r c h es t o r th e insi d e of a cos m i c mo ns te r wh e n c e th e y
, , ,
d i s t ri bute d th e m se lves over th e earth Th is e v e n t is s o m e t i m e s .
p l a c e d in th e F irs t Ag e a s a n e p iso d e o f a c re at i o n s tory s o m e t i m e s
,
-
,
i t fo ll ow s th e c a ta c l y sm i c flood o r c o n fl ag ra t io n wh i c h en d s th e p ri
m e v a l p e ri od Th e p e o p le o f th e F irs t Ag e a re ve ry g enerall y re p re
.
s e n te d a s h u m an in fo r m b u t a ni m a l in reali ty a n d a f re q u en t s tory ,
t e lls of th e t ran sfo rm at ion of th e F irs t Pe o p le in to th e a ni m a ls th ey
re a ll y a re as soo n a s g enuine h u m an b e ing s a p p e a r The c o nverse of
,
.
th is re co un t s how th e o ri g in a l a ni m al b e ing s l a i d a si d e th e ir ani m a l -
m a s k s an d b ec am e h u m an b ei n g s a n d th e an c es to rs of m e n a t th e
b eg innin g o f th e h u m a n era O ften b o th th e t rans form a t ion an d th e .
li b er at i o n s tori e s a p p e a r ; in s u c h ins ta n c es th e li b era te d a ni m a ls are
usu a ll y of th e foo d or g am e v a rie t i e s A v a s t b o dy of t r ad i t i o ns an d .
in c i d en t s a c c oun t for th e o rig in of a ni m al t r a i t s ; an d i t is th e se leg en d s
wh i c h rep re sen t what is p er ha p s th e mo s t p ri m i t ive s t r atu m of
In d ian m ythol o g y S ee Note s 36 40 Tex t references : C h I I viii
.
,
. . .
(] R x 1 3
.
7 ; H E W I TT [a ] p p 1 9 4 9 7 ; 232 4 1 ; 30,
2 . Ch I I I i
— —
. . .
C h IV iv ( MOON E Y [b ] p p 24 2
. . v ( MOO N E Y [b ] p p 26 1
,
.
,
.
31 1 ; p 293 q u ot e d ; B U S H N E LL [a ] p p 533 34 ; [b ] p Ch — —
. .
.
, , , .
VI I iv ( MC D ER M OTT NO 2 ; W D LYMAN The Co lu m bia River
.
,
. . .
, ,
N ew York 1909 p p 19 ,
Ch IX vi
,
. Ch X iv — Ch—
. . .
—
. . . .
XI v i
. .
4 2 .H E A V E N T RE E — The con c ep t ion o f a g rea t t ree in th e u p p er
.
worl d m a g i c all y c o nnec te d w i th th e li fe of na ture oc curs in m ore th an
o n e ins ta n c e In th e Mo haw k c o s mo g o n y ( Hew i tt [a ] p 28 2) i t is
.
,
.
sai d to b e ad orne d w i th b l o ss om s that g ive lig ht to th e p eop le in
“ ”
th e sk y worl d wh ile in th e O lelb is myth ( Curt in [a] O le lb is ) th e
-
, ,
c el e s t ial su d a tory is b uil t o f o a k -t rees b oun d t og e th er w i th fl o w ers .
The Tlin g i t reg a r d th e Mil ky W a y as th e t run k o f a c eles t i a l t ree .
In m a n y s tories on th e J a c k-an d-th e-B eans t alk th e m e th e h ero or ,
h eroine as c en d s t o th e s ky o n a rap i d l y g row in g t ree so m e t i m es b e ,
lie v e d t o b e a re p li c a of a si m il a r t ree in th e wo rl d a b ove In S ou th .
W e stern g e nesis s to ries th e e m erg en c e f ro m th e u nd erworl d is by
-
m e a ns of m a g i c a ll y g row in g t rees ree d s sun flow ers an d th e li k e , , , .
As c en t s t o a n d d es c en t s f rom th e sky oc cur w i th a v a rie ty o f o th er
m e thod s : th e t ra d i t ion o f an u p s h oo t in g m oun ta i n or roc k c o mm on ,
in Cali forni a is c learl y re l at e d to th e t ree c on c e p t i o n ; th e r a in b o w
,
b ri d g e is a f re q uen t i d e a an d is so m e t i m es li k e th e Mil ky Way
, , ,
re g a r d e d a s th e Pa thw a y of S ouls ; in th e S ou th Wes t lig htning is —
c o n c e iv e d a s fo r m in a b ri d e o r la dd er a n d a si m il a r i d e a in co n
g g ;
n e xio n w i th th e fa ll of A t a e n t s i c is th e F ire-D r a g o n e p is od e ; d es c e n t s
a n d a s c en t s by m eans o f a ba ske t s w un f ro m s i d er-s un fi la m en t s
g p p
29 6 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
Tawisc a ro n , Tawis k ala , all e d S a p ling by th e etc . Y o s k eha , c
O n o n da g a a n d Ma p le S a p lin g
“ ”
by th e Mohaw k ha s b ee n id e nt i ,
fi e d w i th th e su n or li g ht by B r in ton p tho u g h th ere seem s .
b e tter re a s o n in Hew i tt s V i e w that h e is th e rep rod u c t ive rej u v e n at
’
,
” “ ”
in g p ow e r in n ature ( Cos m og oni c G o d s o f t he Iroq uois in P ro ,
ceedi n gs f A m er i ca
o n A the
ss o ci a ti o n f o r the
“
A dva n ce m e n t of Sci en ce,
Tawisc a ra is re n d e re d by B rin to n th e D a rk O n e , a n d in
“ ” “ ”
t e rp re t e d a s th e d es t ru c t ive o r Ty p h oni c p ow e r F lin t is th e .
n a m e g i v e n to Tawisc a ra by th e O n o n da g a ; th e Mo hawk d esi g n a t e
“ ”
h i m by th e Hu ron na m e wh i c h in th e ir l a n g u a g e s i g ni fi es fl in t o r
” “ ”
c h e rt ; wh ile th e S e ne c a kno w h i m by th e e p i th e t Wa r ty ( c f .
“
Not e He is d es c ri b e d as a m arv e lousl y s t ran g e p erson a g e
h is fl es h is no th ing b u t fl in t over th e t o p o f h is h e ad a s h arp ,
”
co mb of fl in t B ré b e u f s narr at ive t e lls how wh en Tawisc a ra was
’
.
,
“
p unis h e d by Jo u s k e ha an d fl e d f rom h is b lood c erta in s tones s p ran g ,
”
up li k e those w e e m p loy in F ra n c e to fi re a g u n (] R x
, ,
In .
C h ero k ee myth Tawisc ala a p p e a rs in assoc i at i o n w i th th e Alg on
“ ”
qu ian G re at R abb i t wh i c h woul d in d i c at e what is in d ee d O b vious
, , ,
th a t Y o sk e h a an d Mana bo zho are o n e a n d th e s am e Hew i tt re .
g a rd s F lin t ( Ta wis c a ro n wh i c h h e in t e rp re t s as f r om
, a roo t si g ni fy
“ ” “ ”
in g ic e ; see 30 B B E Tawisc a ro n ) as a p ersoni fi c at i o n o f W in t er ;
,
wh ile S a p ling who m h e i d en t i fi e s w i th Te ha ro n hiawag o n p e rso nifi e s
, ,
S u mm er ; b u t th is c an b e a t b es t onl y in a secon d ary m o d e The , , .
n am e Te h aro nhiawag o n Hew i tt in terp re t s a s m e a ning li ter a ll y He
"
is ho l d ing th e s ky in two p l a c es referring to th e a c t ion of th e t wo
- - - - - -
,
h an d s (30 B B E ,
O th er in t erp re t a t ions are ”
il a ff er m i t le C iel d e t ou t es p art s ”
La fi t au i 1 33 Th a ro n hiao u ag o n
,
.
, ,
“
B rin ton [a ] p 20 5 Ta ro n hiawag o n
,
. h e wh o co m es f ro m th e sk y
, ,
Mo rg a n 11 234 Ta re ny awag o n s t a t ing th a t h e w as th e sen d er o f
,
.
,
“
,
” “ ”
d re am s ; Hew i tt [a ] p 1 37 Th a ro n hiawa k o n h e g rasp s th e sky
,
.
, , ,
i e in m e mo ry Mrs Sm i th ( p 52) s ay s th at li ttle m ore is k nown o f
. . . . .
th is g o d th an that h e b ro u g ht o u t f rom Moth er Ea rth th e s ix t ri b es
O f th e Iroq u o is The na m e is n o t m u c h u se d th e c o s m og oni e s p re
.
,
f e rring a n ep i th e t a s O d en do nn ia ,
wh i c h is p rob ab l y
a lso th e m e a ning of Y o s k e ha S ee N o tes 38 44 4 7 69 Tex t refe r .
, , ,
.
en ces : C h I I I i C h IV vi
. . . . . .
4 6 ME TAM O R P H OS I S Trans form at ions are o f c ourse comm on —
. .
myth i c in c i d en t s Th e y m ay b e c l a ssi fi e d in to ( 1 ) p hoeni x-li k e p e ri od
.
i c a l rej u v e n at ions a s in th e c ase of S a p ling ( Y o s k e h a) in Iroq u o i an
,
a n d of Es t s a n a t le hi in N a v aho myth ; ( 2) th e m e tam orp hosis o f th e
Peo p le of th e F irs t Ag e i n to th e a ni m als o r h u m an b e in g s o f th e fi nal
p e rio d in wh i c h m en no w live ; ( 3) in c i d en t al c ha n g es o f for m a s d is
, ,
“ ”
g u ises assu m e d by m a g i c ians o r d ei t ies s wa n -s h i f t ep iso d es w ere , ,
fol k in c arna t ions all in th e g eneral fi el d of fo lk -t ales ; (4) rein c arnat ion
,
N OTE S 29 7
o r t rans m i g r at ion C h ang e s wh i c h m ay b e f ro m hu m a n to ani ma l
,
fo rm a s in th e Tlin g i t c o n c e p t that th e w i c k e d a re re bo rn as an i
,
m a ls o r th e Mo h ave b e li e f that a ll th e d e a d a re re in c a rna t e d in a
,
s e ries of a ni m a l form s un t il th e y fi n a ll y d isa p p e a r ; ( 5) t r a ns fo rm a
t ions f re q u e n t l y by way of rev e n g e w ro u g ht by a myth i c Tr a ns fo rm e r
, ,
o r oth e r d e i ty Es p e c i a ll y in th e No r th W es t a n d South W e s t s to n e
.
- -
fo rm a t ions a re exp lain e d a s re p re sen t in g t r a ns fo r m e d g i a n t s of e a rli e r
t i m es ; ( 6) a ni m a l t r a i t s to ri e s in wh i c h th e d is t in c t ive C ha r a c ter
,
ist ic o f a n a ni ma l k in d is h e l d t o b e th e re sul t of s om e p ri m i t ive
c ha n g e usu a ll y th e c onse q u en c e of a c c i d en t o r t ri c k w ro u g ht in
, ,
th e body of an a n c e s t r a l a n i m al Se e Not e s 3 5 1 8 35 40 4 1 4 3 .
, , , , , , ,
4 8 62 ,
Tex t referen ces : C h I I I i ( H E W I TT
. Ch IV iv v
. .
—
. .
,
( MOO N E Y [b ] p p 293 30 4 310 1 I 320 324 ; B U S H N E LL [a ] p
,
.
, ,
—
, , ,
.
C h VI I ii ( KR O E B ER [a] N o 10 ; MASO N N o 25 ; P OW E LL p p
. .
,
.
,
.
,
.
47 iii (TE I T [a ] N O C h VI I I i
,
C h X v ( CU RT I N
. . . . . .
[a ] In t ro d ; MERR I AM
,
. C h XI v i ( B OAS an d HU NT [b ]
,
. .
,
p .
47 MANA B O ZH O AND CH I B IA B O S
. Th ese two are th e Al g o n q ui a n .
e q uiv a len t s O f th e Iroq u o i a n Y o s k e ha an d Tawisc ara Ma na b ozho .
,
th e G re at H a re is o n e of th e mo st i n t ere s t i n g fi g u re s in In d i a n m yth
, ,
a n d p rob a b l y h e o w e s h is i m p o r ta n c e t o a v a r i e ty o f t r a i t s : th e
ha re s p roli fi c rep ro d u c t i o n a n d h is us e fu ln e ss a s a food ani m a l w e re
’
th e fo un d a t i o n ; h is s p ee d g ave him a s ymb oli c c h a r ac t er ; a n d p e r
ha p s h is hab i t of c ha ng ing h is coa t w i th th e s e a s o ns e n ha n c e d h is
rep u tat ion a s a m a g i c i a n At all even t s in o n e li n e of d eve l o p m e n t
.
,
h e b e c o m e s th e g re at d e m iurg e th e b e n e fa c tor of m a n k in d Sp i ri t , ,
o f li fe a n d in t erc essor w i th t he G oo d S p i ri t ; wh ile in an oth e r dire c
,
t ion h e is evolve d in t o t h e v a in t r i c ky n o w s tu p i d n o w C l ev e r h e r o, , ,
o f ani m al ta l e s who se fi n a l in c a rn at i o n aft e r h is d ee d s ha v e p a ss e d
, ,
“ ”
f ro m In d i a n in t o n e g ro l o re a p p e a rs in th e B re r R abb i t s to ri e s
,
o f Jo e l C ha n d l e r H a rris In In d i a n myth th e r e l at i o n b e tw e e n t h e
.
d e m i u rg i c G re at Ha re an d t h e t ri c ky Ma s t e r R a bb i t v a ri e s w i th t ri b e
a nd tim e Th e t e n d e n c y is to a n th ro p omo rp h i z e th e G r e at H a re
.
o r t o a s si m il at e h is d e e d s to a n a n th ro p omo rp h i c d e i ty Th is ha s .
g o ne fa r th e s t w i th th e Iro q u o is by wh o m in d e e d th e c on c e p t i o n of ,
a r abb i t d e m i u rg e m ay never ha v e b e e n se ri o u sl y e n t e rta ine d Th e .
Iroquo i a n C h ero k ee have m a n y R abb i t s to ri e s b u t th ey are fo l k ,
ta l e s r ath e r tha n myth s A mo n g th e Ab n a k i th e re s e e m s to b e a
.
c l e a r sep a ra t i o n b e tw ee n G l o os c a p th e d e m iurg e a n d th e R abb i t , ,
( c f R a n d Lel a n d ) ; G l o os c a p is how ev e r an ob vi o us do u b le t o f t he
.
, , ,
H a re h a vin g a ll h is t ri c ky a n d m a g i c C ha r a c t e r I t is in t ere s t in g t o
,
.
n ote that a mo n g th e Ut e o f th e w est e rn P l at e a u wh ere as in th e
, , ,
fa r No rth th e r abb i t is a v a lu ab l e food a ni ma l th e R abb i t a g a in
, ,
b e co m es a n i m p or t an t myth i c b ein g thou g h s t ill su b ord ina t e t o th e ,
29 8 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
C oyote wh i c h e ff a c e s h i m ev e rywh e re in th e We s t Ap p aren tl y
,
.
t h e C oy o t e o r s om e oth e r Wo l f w a s th e ori g in a l c o m p a ni o n o r
”
“
b roth e r O f th e Ha re ; fo r in p ra c t i c a ll y eve ry versi o n in wh i c h two
a n i ma ls a re p re s e n t a s th e He ro B ro th e rs o ne is a c a rnivo re In th e , .
e a s t i t is o ft e n th e l y n x wh i c h li k e th e wol f p rey s u p o n th e r abb i t
, , ,
.
Som e t i m e s b i rd s re p l a c e q u ad ru p e d s a s in th e O m a ha m yth o f ,
”
Ha xig e ( J O Do rse y . . wh ere th e d u c k a n d b u zza r d a p p e a r ;
but t he r e l at i o n of p re y a nd c a rnivore is con s ta n t I t is at le a s t n ote .
wo rthy that t he fo o d a ni m al s hou l d b e th e e m inen t h ero in F o re s t
R eg i o n myth wh il e th e b eas t o f p re y ta k e s th i s role o n th e P l a i n s a n d
,
w e stwa r d The Al go n qu i a n n am e s a n d e p i th e t s for th e G re at Ha re
.
a re m a n y ; Me sso u Man ab u sh Min a b o z ho a n d N a n a b o o j o o a re
, , ,
m e n t ione d in th e t ext ( C f N o t e C hib ia b o s ( a l so C hip ia p o o s) t he
.
,
c om p a ni o n of Mana b o zho a l mo s t inv a ri ab l y o ccu rs in th e fo r m of
,
a c a rn ivo re as th e m a rt e n ly n x or wo l f In th e in tere s t i ng Pota
, , ‘ ,
.
wat o m i v e rs ion g iv e n by D e Sm e t ( p p 10 8 0 8 4 ) two myth i c c y c l e s .
—
s ee m to b e m ing l e d : C h a k e k e n a p o k w i th whom N an a bo o j o o fi g ht s , ,
is c l e a rl y F lin t th e w i c k e d tw in of th e I roq u o i a n t ale ; Chip iap o o s
, ,
th e f ri en d l y b roth e r is Al g o n q u i a n a n d th e s am e b eing who b e
, ,
c om e s lo r d of th e g h o s t wo rl d aft er b e in g d r a g g e d d ow n by th e w a t er
-
mo n s t e rs ; Wab a ss o is c l e a rl y anoth e r n am e fo r th e G re a t H a re an d ,
f rom th e na t u re of th e re fe ren c e i t is p l au si b le to su p p ose that th e
A rc t i c ha re is m e a n t i e N a n abo o j o o Wab a sso a n d C h ip ia p o o s
—
. .
-
C h a k e k e n ap o k a re in re a li ty o n l y two p e rs o ns See Not e s I 5 44 .
, ,
4 5 4 9 Text r eferen ce : C h I I I ii ( RAND No lx ; H OFFMAN [b ] p p
,
. . .
,
.
,
.
8 7 1 1 3 1 4 ; [a ] p 1 6 6 ; fo r g e n e r a l re f e r e n c es se e N o t e
,
—
,
.
,
8 H ER O -TR AN SFO R M ER TR IC KST ER A b ein g wh o is a t o n c e
- —
4 . .
a d e m iurg e a m a g i c a l t r a ns fo r m er a n d a t ri c k s te r both c lev e r an d
, ,
g ulli b le is th e g re at p ers o n a g e of N or th A m eri c a n mytho l o g y In .
s om e t ri b es th e h e ro i c C ha r a c ter in s om e th e t ri c k s ter n ature p re ,
d o m in at e s ; o th ers rec og ni z e a c le a r d is t i n c t i o n b e tween th e myth s ,
i n wh i c h c re at ive a c t s a re a s c r i b e d to th is b ein g a n d th e fo l k -ta les o r ,
fi c t i o ns in W h i c h h is g ener a ll y d i sc re d i tab l e adve n ture s are n a rr at e d
,
.
O f th e myth i c a c t s th e mo s t i m p o r ta n t a s c r i b e d to hi m are : ( 1) th e
se tt in g in or d er o f th e s ha p e less fi r s t wo rl d a n d th e c on q ues t o f i t s ,
m ons t ro u s b ein g s wh o a re usu a ll y t r a ns fo r m e d ; ( 2) th e p ri m e r ole
,
in th e th e ft of fi re th e s u n o r day li g ht ; ( 3) th e res tora t ion of th e
, ,
wo rl d a ft e r th e fl o o d ; a n d ( 4) th e c re at ion of m a n k in d a n d th e ins t i
t u t io n of th e a r t s of li f e Wh ere th ese d ee d s a re p e rfo rm e d by so m e
.
oth e r b e ing onl y th e t ri c k s ter c ha r a c ter re ma i n s in a g rou p of fa irl y
,
c o ns ta n t ad v e n tures ne a rl y a ll of wh i c h have c lo s e an a l o g ues in
,
Eu ro p e a n fo lk ta les - The i m p or t an t h ero t ri c k s ters a re ( 1 ) th e
.
-
G re at Hare or Mas ter R a bb i t o f th e e a s te rn p a r t o f th e con t i n e n t ;
, ,
( )
2 Co y o t e th,
e c h ie f h ero o f P lains fol k -t al e s a n d in th e f ar W e s t
30 0 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
a l add e r to h eaven th e c o n fusion o f tong u e s an d th e d is p ersal o f
, ,
m a n k in d Th ere is n o re a sona b le q ues t ion b u t th a t th e se in c i d e n t s
.
a re ab o ri g inal a n d p re-Colu mb i a n a l tho u g h in som e ins t an ces l at er ,
c o l o ur e d by k no w le d g e o f th e B i b le t ale ; a n d i t is h ar d l y a m a tt e r
of won d er that th e fi rs t m issi o nari e s w ere convin c e d that In d i a n
m ytho log y is onl y a p erver t e d re m inis c en c e o f th e even t s n a rra t e d in
th e S c ri p tures S ee Not es 9 I 5 4 8 50 5 1 Text referen ces : C h
.
, , , ,
. .
I I I iii (] R v 1 55 57 ; vi 1 57 59 ; HOFFMAN [b ] p p 8 7 8 8 1 31 ff ;
. .
—
.
—
,
.
—
, .
P ERR OT Mém o i re c h i En g lis h t r a nsl at i o n in B L A I R i )
, ,
.
,
C h IV ,
. . .
iv ( B U S H N E LL C h VI i ii C h VI I iii C h VI I I ii
. .
,
. . . . . .
,
v vi
,
.C h IX vi V l l . C h X iii ( KR O E B ER [c] ; [d] p p 34 2 46 ;
.
,
. . .
, .
—
P OW ER S p ,
iv ( POW E R S p p 144 16 1 227 38 3; K R O EB ER
.
,
.
, , ,
[c] p p 1 7 7 1 7 8 1 8 4 1 8 9 ; No s 11 I s 25 37 ; MERR I AM
,
.
, , , pp , , , ,
7 5 8 1 1 39 ; D IX O N [c ] No s 1 2 ; [d ] No s 1 2 ; CU R T I N
, , ,
.Ch , ,
.
, .
XI vi ( B OAS [g ] xxiv
.
,
.
T H E S ER P E NT S n a k s se e m n at ur a ll y assoc ia t e d w i th un d e r
50 . e .
wo rl d-p ow ers a n d a re so in m a n y ins ta n ces not a b l y th e sn a k e ri tes
, ,
o f th e Hop i ( C h IX v ) ; b u t th e g re at myth i c serp en t o f In d i a n lore
. .
is q ui t e as m u c h a s k y a s a water—b e in g p rob ab l y h e is m ainl y th e
p e rsoni fi e d rain bow a n d li g ht nin g a n d th ere fore asso c i at e d w i th b o th
s k y an d wat e r Co mm onl y h e is rep resen te d as p lu m e d or h orne d ;
.
f re q uen t l y h e c a rries a c ry s ta l in h is h ea d ; in th e No rth Wes t th e -
Sisiu t l h as a s e rp e n t h ea d at e a c h en d a n d a h u m an fa c e in th e m i dd le .
F l y in g sn a k es occur in N ava h o myth a s a genre; th e S hos honi reg ar d
th e r a in b ow as a g rea t s k y s e rp en t a n d th e r a in b ow s on th e w a t ers of
-
,
N i a g a r a m ay b e th e su gg e st ion wh i c h m a k es th is c a t ar a c t th e h o m e
o f a g re at rep t ile The S i a ( M C Stevenson [b ] p 69) h ave a series
. . .
,
.
o f c o s m i c serp e n t s o ne for ea c h of th e q uart ers one for h e a ven
—
, ,
a n d o n e fo r e a r th ; th e h eaven-serp en t h as a c r y s t al b o dy an d i t is s o ,
b rilli a n t th a t th e e y es c a nno t res t u p on i t ; th e earth serp en t h as a -
m o tt le d b o dy a n d is t o b e i d e n t i fi e d w i th th e s p o tt e d m ons t er wh i c h
,
rules th e w a t ers b e nea th th e wo rl d an d in S ou th-W es tern myth ,
g en e rall y c auses th e fl oo d th a t d rives th e F irs t Peop le t o th e u p p er
,
worl d The m os t f re q u e n t i d en t i fi c a t ion of th e serp en t how eve r is
.
, ,
w i th li g htning I t is p ar t l y a s c onnec t e d w i th th e li g htning p a rt l y
.
,
as as soc ia te d w i th t he un d e rworl d -p owers th a t th e sna k e b ec om es ,
a n e mb le m o f f er t ili ty es p e c i a ll y in th e S ou th W es t ,
Th ere m ay b e - .
s om e c onnex i o n w i th th e s am e i d e a in th e f re q uen t myth o f th e in
t e rco u rse of a w o m an w i th a serp e n t In m a n y h ero s to ri e s th e rep .
-
t ile a p p ears as an an t a g oni s t of th e S un or th e Moo n o r o f th e Hero
d e m i u rg e S o m e t i m es h e is th e h us b an d of N ig ht and an o b vi o us
.
,
i m p e rso n at i o n of evil O n th e Pa c i fi c C oa s t th e ho rne d serp en t is a
.
m a g i c ra th er th an a c o s m i c b ein g thou g h th e l atter c h ara c t e r is by ,
no m eans a b sen t Very f re q uen t l y m ed i c ine p owers are as c ri b e d to
.
-
N OTE S 30 1
snakes an d th ere are nu m erous m yth s o f p o ten c i e s so a c q uire d by
,
visi t s to th e sn a k e-p eop le In th e in c i d en t o f th e h ero s w allowe d by .
th e m ons t er th is b eing is in m a n y c a ses a serp en t a s in th e Iro q uois
, ,
v ersion E G Sq uier (A m erica n Revi ew n e w s e ries ii 1 8 4 8 p p
. . .
, , , ,
.
39 2 9 8 ) g ives a ty p e of th e Ma n abozho s to ry w i th th e fo llow in g
—
i n c i d en t s : ( I ) th e sei z in g of th e c o usin of Ma n ab ozh o as h e w as
“ ”
,
c r o ssin g th e ic e by Me s he k e n ab e k th e G rea t S e rp e n t ; ( 2) Man a
, ,
b o z ho s t r a ns fo r m a t ion o f h i m s e l f in t o a t ree a n d h is s hoot in g of th e
’
S erp en t ; ( 3) th e fl oo d c a use d by th e w a t er serp en t s a n d th e fl i g ht ,
o f m e n an d a ni m a ls to a h i g h mo un t ain wh e n c e a r aft is laun c h e d ,
c on ta inin g th e h ero an d m an y a ni m als ; ( 4 ) th e d ivin g in c i d e n t ; a n d
( 5) Ma na b o zh o s rem a k i n g o f th e e a r th See N o tes 2 9 4 1 49
’
. .
, , ,
Tex t referen ces : C h I I I iv ( H OFFMAN [b ] p p 8 8 8 9 125 ff ; RAND . .
,
.
—
,
.
,
N o s 1 xxx iii ; MO O N E Y [b ] p p 320
.
,
C h IV vi C h VI i ,
. . . . . .
( MO RI C E Tra ns a ctio ns of the Ca n a dia n I ns ti tu te v 4
,
iv ( P OW E LL ,
.
,
p . C h VI I iv C h IX iii ( M C S T EVE N SON [C] p p 94 ii
. . . . . . .
,
. .
,
“ ”
1 7 9 ; F EW K E S [ f] p v (30 B B E S na k e D a n c e ; F EW K E S [b ]
,
.
, ,
[c] ; D O R S E Y an d V OT H e s p ec i a ll y p p 255 6 1 ; 34 9 53; V OT H No s ,
.
— —
, .
6 7 27 37)
, ,
C h XI 11 ( B OA S [f] p 37 1 ;
. vi 5 5a ; viii 3 4 ;
. .
,
.
, ,
xvii 2 ; [j] p p 28 44
.
,
.
, ,
5 1 TH E TH E FT O F F I RE The Pro m e th ean m yth is one of th e —
. .
m os t univers a l in A m eri c a S o m e t i m es i t is th e su n that is s to l en .
,
so m et i m es th e d a y lig ht ; b u t in th e g re a t m aj o ri ty of c a ses i t is fi re
'
Th e l eg en d fre q uen t l y h as a u t ili ta ri a n turn d es c r i b in g th e k in d s ,
o f woo d in wh i c h th e fi re is d ep osi te d Usu a ll y th e fl a m e is in th e .
k eep in g o f b ein g s who a re O b viousl y c eles t i a l b u t th ere are som e ,
c urious v a ria t ions as in th e N or th -W es t v e r sions wh i c h d erive fi re ,
f ro m th e o c e a n or f ro m g ho s t s ( c f B oa s [g ] xvii I t is i m p ossi b le .
,
.
t o b elieve th at th e fi re th eft s to ries re f e r to th e a c tual in t ro d u c t ion -
o f fi re as a cul tural a g e n c y ; mo re li k e l y th e ri tu a lis t i c p reserv at ion
a n d k in d lin g o f fi re w i th th e d is t ri b u t i o n o f th e ne w fi re by rela y s ,
o f torc h-b e a rers — ri tes o f wh i c h th ere a re t r a c es in b oth N orth
an d S ou th Am eri c a c ons t i tu t e th e b asis o f th e m yth in i t s c o m
m ones t for m th a t is th e ft fo llo w e d by d is t ri b u t ion by rela y s of
, ,
ani m a ls S ee N o t e s 1 3 40 Text referen ces : C h I I I v (HOFFMAN
.
,
. . .
b
[ ] pp ,
1 26 —
27 ; MOON E Y [
. d ] p 6 7 8 ; D E S M E T p p 10 4 7 vi ,
.
,
.
(H E W I TT a
[] pp 0 2 1 ff 3 7
1 —
,
Ch IV iv ( MOO N E Y [b ] p p
.
,
. .
,
.
240 Ch VI I ii ( W D LYMAN The Co lu m bia River N e w
—
. . . .
, ,
York 190 9 p p 22 24 ; C f EE L S A nnu al Rep o rt of the Sm iths o n i a n
, ,
.
—
.
,
I ns titu tio n 1 8 8 7 p a r t iv ( KR O E B ER [a ] N o 1 ; LO W I E [b ] N o
, , ,
.
, .
3 ; P A C KA R D N O 1 ; TE I T [a ] N O S,
1 2 1 3; [
c ] N.o —
C h X ,
.
, , . . .
iv vi ( C U R T I N [a] p 36 5 ; [b] p 5 1 ; MERR I AM p p 33 35 4 3 53
, , , .
, , ,
—
,
8 9 1 39 ; GODDA R D [b ] N o 1 2 ; [c] N os 3 4 5 ; F RA C H TE N B ER G [a ]
, ,
.
,
.
, , ,
N o 4 ; D I X O N [b ] N o 3; [c] N o 5 ; [d ] N o 8 ; KR O E B E R [c] No s
.
,
.
,
.
,
.
, .
30 2 N O RTH AME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
8, 1 6 , 26 ; [e] N o ,
. C h XI v ( B OAS [g ] iii
. .
,
. I, 8; v . 2; viii . 8;
x iii .
52 . TH E B E A R d o u bt less th e c ave-dwe lling a nd h ib ern at
. It is
ing hab i t s of th e b e a r c o u p le d w i th h is fo r m i dab le s t ren g th that g ive
, ,
h i m h is p o s i t i o n a s c h ie f of th e un d e rworl d Ma ni tos In th e Mid e wi .
w in th e b e a rs a re th e m os t i m p or t an t o f th e m a li g n a n t Ma ni to s b a r
ri ng th e p ro g re ss of th e c a n d i d a te d uring h is ini t i ati o n S ee Hoff m a n .
[a ] p p 1 67 69 a n d c f Not e 14 Text referen ces : C h I I I vi
,
.
—
,
. Ch . . . . .
X v i ( P OW ER S p 34 2 ; D IX ON [c] N o 9 ; GODDA R D [c ] N o 1 7 ;
.
,
.
,
.
, .
MERR I AM p p 10 3 1 1 1 ; KR O EB ER [c ] p 1 8 0 No
,
.
,
C h XI v ,
.
,
. . . .
53 R E T U R N OF T H E D E AD
. Sto ries o n th e th e m e of O rp h eus a n d .
Euryd i c e a re su ffi c ien t l y f re q uen t to fo r m a c lass by th e m s e lves In .
som e c a s e s th e re turn of th e b el ove d d e ad is d efea te d b ec au se of th e
b re a king of a tab u a s in th e G reek ins ta n c e ; in o th ers th e seeker is ,
g ive n w e al th or so m e o th e r su b s t i t u t e ; in s t ill o th ers th e d e a d is
re turne d to li fe b u t usuall y w i th an un c ann y conseq uen c e ; a l tog e th er
,
g h as t l y are th e s t ories wh ere th e r e v iv ifi c a t io n is onl y a p p a ren t a n d ,
th e see k e r a w a k es t o fi nd h i m sel f or h ersel f c lu t c h ing a c o rp se or
s k el e ton S ee N otes 10 1 2 1 7 Text referen ces : C h I I I vii (] R x
.
, ,
. . . .
1 4 9 53; S M I T H
—
p Ch VI v ( G A D O R S E Y [g ] No s 10
,
.
—
. . . .
, .
,
Ch VI I iii v i ( W D LYMAN The Co lu m bia River N ew
—
. .
,
. .
, ,
Y o rk 1 90 9 p p 28 ,
C h X v ii ( KR O E B E R [c] N os 24 25 ;
,
. . .
, .
,
P OWER S p ,
C h XI v ii . . . .
54 HI AWAT H A Fo r th e s tory of Hia w a th a c onsul t 30 B B E
—
. .
,
D e k a n a wid a
” “
Hi awatha
” “
Wat ho t o t a rho ; Hale I r o qu o is B o o k
,
”
, ,
of Ri tes a s t u dy of th e t r ad i t ions o f th e Le a g ue as re ta ine d by th e
,
I ro q u o is an d re d u c e d to w ri t in g in th e ei g hteen th c en tury ; Mo rg a n ,
”
i 63 64 ; S m i th ; B e a u c ham p Hi a wat h a in j AF L iv ; S c hool
.
—
,
- — -
,
c ra ft [ a ] i [b ] p art i ii p p 314 ff Text reference: C h I I I viii
, , ,
. . . . .
55 H A I.R AND S C A L P O f th e p a rt s of th e b o dy th e ha ir a n d th e .
,
h e a rt see m to b e p art i cul a rl y a ss o c i ate d w i th th e li fe an d s t reng th of
th e in d ivi du a l Th e s c a l p l o c k wa s a s p e c i a ll y d resse d w is p or b r a i d
.
-
O f ha ir se p a r at e d ou t wh en th e b o y re a c h e d m a n h oo d a n d i t w as th is
, ,
th a t wa s ta ke n a s a t rop hy f rom th e sl a in Th e c us tom of s c al p ing .
s ee m s to h ave o rig in ate d in th e e a s t an d f rom th ere to have s p rea d
w e s twa rd re p l a c ing th e o l d er p r a c t i c e of d ec a p i tat i o n wh i c h o n
, , ,
so m e p a rt s o f th e Pa c ifi cj Co a s t wa s n ever su p erse d e d H air-sym , .
b o lism a p p ears no t onl y in s c a l p in g b u t in th e w i d e s p re ad c us to m ,
-
of g ivin g a p reg n a n t wom a n a c ha r m m ad e o f th e ha ir of a d ece ase d
r el at ive whose reb ir th wa s hop e d for ( c f j R v i 20 7 for an earl y . .
,
i n sta nc e ) H a ir-c omb ing ep iso d es are f req uen t in myth usu a ll y
.
,
w i th a m a g i c si g ni fi c a n c e In Iro q uois c os m og o n y At aen t si c co mb s .
t he h a ir o f he r fath e r a p p a re n t l y t o rec eive h is m a g i c p ow er , Hia .
wath a s c o mb ing of th e sna k es f ro m th e h air o f At o t a rho is p erh ap s
’
39 4 N O RTH A ME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
p per e t ua t e fa lse vie w s an d i m p r e ssions e q uall y w i th t rue s tat e m en t s
o f fa c t s Thus th e m is a p p re h ension of one O b server is th erea fter
.
p ro p a g a t e d a n d c on fi r m e d by ever y w ri t er wh o d e a ls w i th th e g iven
su bj ec t In su c h lig ht I th ink is to b e reg ar d e d th e c h ara c ter o f
.
, ,
P i t a Les ha ra [P e t a le sha ro ] a n d es p ec iall y one d ee d c o mm onl y as
,
’
c rib e d t o h i m in wh i t e m e n s a cc oun t s .
P i ta Le s ha ra w as c h ief of th e Tsh awi [C h aui ] t ri b e o f th e P a w nee
“
na t i o n He w as a forc eful c ha r a c ter w ise b rave an d b enevolen t
.
, , , ,
a n d w as in th e h ei g ht o f h is p o w er j us t a t th e t i m e th a t h is n at ion
w as co m in g in to t he c lo sest c o n ta c t w i th th e wh i t e ra c e B ec ause
. .
o f h is ou t s t an d in g a b ili ty a n d fo rc e o f c h ar a c ter a n d b ec a use h e ,
wa s a c h ief th e wh i t es p op ularl y reg ar d e d him as th e p rinc i p al c h i e f
,
o f th e na t ion .
“
O f th e four t ri b es ori g inall y in d ep en d en t b u t in la t er t i m es
, ,
c on fe d era t e d in t o th e P aw nee na t ion one th e S ki d i p ossesse d th e , , ,
ri te of h u m an sa c ri fi c e th e offering of c er tain w ar c a p t ives p ro
, ,
v id e d th a t a t th e t i m e o f th eir c a p t ure th e y h a d b een d evo t e d by
th e c o n se c rat io n al vow s o f th eir c a p tors Th is c ere m on y w as p ra e .
t is e d by th e S k i d i P aw nee un t il so m e t i m e a ft er th e m i dd le o f th e
nine teen th c e n tury I t d ie d ou t a t th a t t i m e b ecause of th e various
.
in fl u e n ces in c i d en t to in c re a sing c on t a c t w i th an d m ore cons ta n t ,
p ro p in q ui ty o f th e wh i t e ra c e ,
The c essa t io n o f th is p ra c t i c e o c
.
c urrin g c on t e m p or a neou sl y w i th th e p eri od o f P i t a Le s h a r a s p u b li c
’
a c t ivi t ies a b e lief o bta ine d a m on g wh i t e p eop le a n d c ry s ta lli z e d
, ,
in to a d i c tu m that i t wa s d ue to a m an d a t e o f th e C h ief th a t th e
,
p ra c t i c e o f th e ri t e c e a se d B u t th e ob servan c e o f reli g ious c ere m o
.
nies d oes no t ori g in at e nor t er m ina t e by m an d a t e .
“
B y c are ful in q uir y a m on g th e ol d p eo p le of th e P a w nee I a m
una b le to fi n d an y su p p o r t for ei th er of th e s t a t em en t s c urren t
a mo n g th e wh i tes th a t P i t a Les ha r a w as h e ad c h ief o f th e na t ion
a n d that h e by e d i c t c ause d th e S k i d i t ri b e t o a b an d on th eir p e c u
, ,
li a r ri tu a l The fo llow ing a c coun t w ill serve as a n exa m p le of th e
.
in fo rm at ion on th e su bj e c t g ive n m e very g ener a ll y by ol d p eop le
n ow livin g wh o w ere c on t e m p oraries o f P i t a Les h ar a My in for m an t .
in th is ins t an c e wa s Wh i t e Ea g le a c h ie f of th e S ki d i P a w nee , He .
wa s ab ou t eig hty-th ree y ears ol d a t th e t i m e h e g ave m e th is a c coun t
in 1 9 1 4 His fath er w as th e l a s t p ries t or R i t u a l K eep er o f th e ri t e
.
, ,
of h u m a n s a c ri fi c e wh o p erfo r m e d th e c ere mo n y a nd Wh i te Ea g le ,
h i m se l f a s h is fath er s su c c essor no w h as in h is k e ep ing th e s a c re d
,
’
,
p a c k p e r ta i n ing to th e sa c ri fi c e an d d e s c ri b e d b elo w .
“
Wh i t e Ea g le s a ccoun t follow s I tol d him th e c urren t s tory
’
.
,
a n e du c at e d yo un
g S k i d i n a m e d C h arles K n ife c hie f b eing our in
t e rp ret e r Wh i t e Ea g le lis t ene d w i th atten t ion an d a t th e c lose h e
.
s ai d : I t is n o t a t rue a c count N ow le t m e t e ll you At one t i m e
‘
. .
N OTE S 39 5
th ere w as a S ki d i c h ief na m e d Won d erful S un ( Sa k u ru t i Wa ru k st i) .
Th is c h ief or d ere d th e [S ki d i ] t ri b e on th e b u ff alo h un t S o th e y -
.
m a d e rea dy w i th t en t s an d e q ui p m en t Th e p eo p le w en t sou th
.
w es t b ey on d th e Rep u b li c an R iver Wh ile th ey w ere in that reg ion
,
.
,
th ey c a m e in to th e vi c ini ty o f a C h ey enne c a m p O n e o f th e C h e y .
e nne w o m en w as g a th erin g w oo d a lon g th e river b o tt om m an y m iles
f ro m c a m p S o m e P a w nees overtoo k h er an d m ad e h er c a p t ive
. .
Th e P a w nees a t th is t i m e had fi nis h e d th e h un t an d w ere re t urnin g
h o m e Th e y b rou g ht th e c a p t ive C h ey enne wo m a n along A m an
. .
o f th e S ki d i d e c l a re d th e woma n t o b e wa ru k st i [ a fo r m ula o f co n s e
c ra t i o n ] Th e y c on t inue d o n th e return j ourney an d c a m p e d on th e
.
w a y a t Ho n o t at o kak o [th e n am e of a n ol d villa g e si t e o n th e sou th
b ank o f th e Pla tt e R iver wh ere th e Tshawi K it k a h a k [K it k eh aht i] ,
an d Pit a h awira t [P i tah a uera t] th e o th er th ree t ri b es o f th e P a w nee
,
na t ion had for m erl y resi d e d ] F rom th is p l a c e th ey t ravelle d along
,
.
th e sou th b ank of th e P l att e to th e for d a t C o l u m b us B efore th ey .
c rosse d th e river o n e o f th e ol d m en of th e S k i d i a m an n a m e d B ig ,
K ni fe ( N it sik u t s) w en t u p t o th is wom a n a n d s h o t h er w i th a n arrow
, .
He d i d so b ec ause h e tho u g ht th a t th e wh i t e m en a t Colu mb us woul d
t a k e h er a w a y f ro m th e m an d sen d h er b a c k t o h er o w n p eop le i f
th ey le a rne d that th e S ki d i h a d a c a p t ive An d no w th is s tory as .
I h ave to l d i t to yo u is th e re a l t ru th of th e re a son that th e S k i d i
P a w nee n o lon g er c on t inue d th e sa c ri fi c e Th e c a p tor o f th e C h ey
.
e nne wo m an w as a m a n n a m e d O l d Ea g le He p ronoun c e d h er t o
.
b e wa ru k st i B ig K ni fe k ill e d h er b ec ause she had b ee n m ad e wa
.
r u k st i .The s tory of P i t a Les ha r a is un t rue I f h e ha d in t erfere d .
,
h e woul d h ave b een kille d b ec ause h e h a d no au thori ty over th e
,
S ki d i He w as c h ie f o f th e Tsh awi
. .
’
“
The ske t c h [m en t ione d b elow] w as m a d e by C h arles K n ife chief
a s h e sa t in t erp re t in g fo r us H e ha s d r aw n a P a w nee e a r th lo d g e
.
i n th e d is ta n c e as seen f ro m th e P l a c e o f S a c ri fi c e The d oor-w a y o f .
th e ho use op ens towar d th e risin g su n The vi c t i m w as b oun d by .
th e ha n d s to th e u p ri g ht p o s t s s t an d in g on th e u p p er of fo ur h ori
,
z o n t al b ars th e en d s o f wh i c h w ere bo un d t o th e u p ri g ht p os t s
, .
Wh i t e Ea g le sai d th a t th e h u m an sa c ri fi c e w as no t c onne c t e d w i th
th e p lan t in g c ere m on y b u t w as for a t onem en t p l a n t ing b ein g c o n
, ,
t rolle d by a no th er S a c re d P a c k He d ec lare d th a t h e h as th e Hu m an
.
S a c ri fi c e P a c k wh i c h h e in h eri t e d f ro m h is f a th er b u t h e wa s no t ,
ins t ru c te d in th e ri tu a l so th a t i t is now los t He s a i d that th e b o dy
,
.
w a s sa c ri fi c e d to th e b i r d s o f th e air a n d t o ani m als an d wa s l e ft on ,
th e s c a ffol d un t il i t w as consu m e d The vi c t i m w as p u t to d ea th by
.
th e au th ori z e d bowm an of th e ri tu a l by s h oo t in g w i th th e four
,
s a c re d arrow s Aft er th e arc h er h ad th us slai n th e s a c r i fi c e fo ur
.
,
m en a d van ce d w i th th e four a n c ien t w ar-c lu b s f ro m th e S a c re d P a c k
30 6 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
an d in turn s t ru c k th e body a fte r wh i c h i t wa s at th e w ill of t he ,
p po u l a c e T h
. e S a c re d P a c k p e r ta inin g t o th is ri t u a l c on ta ins t h e
s a c re d bow th e fo u r s a c re d a rrow s fo u r s a c re d wa r-C lu b s a n d a
, , ,
h u m a n s kull th e s ku ll of a m an who wa s a c h i e f l o ng ag o d is t in
, ,
”
u i s h e d by h is g re at hu m a n s ym p athy
g .
D e s p i t e Wh i t e Ea g le s s tat e m e n t that th e s a c ri fi c e wa s n o t c o n
’
n e c t e d w i th a g ri c ul t u r al ri te s i t m ay s till b e n ot e d that n e i g hb o u r
,
ing t ri b e s a ss o c i at e d th e P aw n ee o ff e rin g o f h u m a n b e in g s w i t h
a g ri cul ture Th u s a n O m ah a n a rr at ive ( J O Do rs e y [a ] p 4 14 )
. . .
, .
“
d e c l a r e s tha t t he P aw nee gre a s e d th e i r h oe s in th e fl es h o f a v ic
“ ”
t im a s th e y w is h e d t o a c q uire g o o d c ro p s .
The illu st r at i o n to wh i c h D r G il mo re r e fers an d wh i c h is rep ro .
,
d u c e d th rou g h h is c ou r t e s y o p p o si t e p 7 6 is of p a r t i c ul a r in t e re s t
, ,
.
,
sin c e th e re is so fa r a s th e a u tho r k n ow s no o th er e xis t in g p i c ture o f
, ,
th e m a n n e r in wh i c h th e famo us s a c ri fi c e to th e Morning S ta r w as c o n
du c t e d Text referen ce: C h V i C f D E S M E T p p 9 77 8 8
. . . . .
,
.
—
.
59 WA R AND WA R GOD S
. Mo st No rth Am e ri c a n In d ians are
- .
—
c our a g e o us wa rri o rs tho u g h t ri b e s v a ry m u c h in th e ir rep u tat ions
, .
O n th e G rea t P l a in s t he n o r th e rn Atha p a sc a ns for m a n e xc e p t i o n ,
h aving a s a rul e li tt le i n c lin at i o n fo r fi g ht ing The C a li fo rni a n
, , .
t ri b es a lso w ere o n th e wh ol e p e a c e fu l an d in th e S ou th-We s t th e
, , ,
P u e b lo Dw ellers v a lo rous in d e f e n c e w e re li tt le g iven t o fo r ay s
, ,
.
The S u n a n d th e Thu n d e r a re th e wa r d iv ini t i e s of th e g re at e r p a r t -
of th e c on t in en t ; in th e So u th W e s t th e wa r g od s are th e tw i n s o n s - —
of th e Su n Usu a ll y th e In d i a n wa rrior relie d mo re u p o n h is p e rs o n a l
.
t u t e l a ry o r Me d i c ine S p iri t e s p e c iall y th e B e a r
- Wo l f a n d Ea g le , ,
tha n u p on a n y wa r g o d of a n at ion a l ty p e The b e a rin g o f p a lla d i a
- .
in to batt l e was c ommo n h ow ev er ; an d th e loss of su c h a t re a sure
,
wa s reg a rd e d a s a g re at d is a s t e r Se e N ot e s 25 37 55 Text refer .
, ,
.
e n ces : C h I I .ii C h V i ix
. . C h VI I I ii
. C h IX iii
.
,
. . . . . . .
60 FE AT H ER S YM B O L I SM
.
- Th e u se o f f e ath e r s ymb ols is o n e of
.
— -
th e m o s t c ha r a c t e ris t i c fea tures of In d i a n d re ss a n d ri tu a ls Ea g le .
fea th ers d en ot in g wa r h onou rs a re in th e n ature of insi g ni a ; b u t th e re
,
-
,
are m a n y r i tu a lis t i c uses in wh i c h th e f e ath e rs se e m to b e p ri m a ril y
s ymb ols of th e in term e d i at i o n b e tw e en h e a ven a n d e a rth wh i c h is
a ssi g ne d to th e b ird s F e ath ers th us h av e a g ho s t l y or s p iri tual c ha r
.
a c t er B o a s re c o rd s a s tory in wh i c h a h ouse is h aun t e d by f e ath e rs
.
a n d s hadow s ( [ g ] xxv 1 a n d o n e o f th e m os t c urious o f P l a ins
.
,
l e g en d s is th e P awn ee t ale of Re ady to-G ive wh o m th e g od s res tore d -
,
to li fe w i th fe ath e rs in p la c e of b r a ins In th e S ou th-Wes t fe ath e rs .
are a tta c h e d to p r ay e r-s t i c ks a dd resse d to th e c eles t ial p owers C f . .
N o t e s 2 1 27 30 31 40 6 1 Text referen ces : C h V vii ( F L E T C H ER
, , , , ,
. . .
,
The Ha k o is p e r h a p s th e m os t i m p orta n t sin g le sourc e on f e ath e r
,
sy m b oli s m ) — Ch VI v i ( for s to ri e s of R e a dy-to-G ive G A:
. . .
,
.
30 8 N O RTH AME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
s ong in h is ri tu a ls a n d th e t a b us wh i c h forb i d song s to b e sung o u t
,
o f s e a son ( a h u n t ing song in th e c lose d seas o n fo r exa m p le) ( 4) , .
Th e m a g i c fl ig ht Th is is a n in c i d en t th a t re c urs m a n y t i m es : th e
.
h e ro is p ursu e d by a m ons ter ; a s h e fl ees h e c rea t es su c c essive o b
s t a c l es by m e a ns of c ha r m s wh i c h th e m ons t e r in t urn ove rcom e s ,
( an ex am p le is g iven C h VI i ) The c o nc ep t ion o f th e p e r ilous way . . .
to th e un d erworl d or S p iri t-worl d is rela te d t o th is i d e a ( see Not e
(5 ) M a g i c use o f s to nes wa n d s a n d o th e r ta lis m ans S ee ,
N o t es 4 , .
,
27 30 35 60 6 1
, ,
Text r eferences : C h VI i vii
, ,
. C h VI I ii . .
,
. . . .
C h VI I I iii iv
. C h IX iv
.
,
C h X iv ( GODDA R D [C] No s 1
. . . . . .
,
.
,
6 3 O LD MA N The p erson a g e usu a ll y c a lle d O ld Ma n is a
— “
. .
d i s t in c t l y W es tern fi g ure wh o see m s t o b e in so m e ins t an c es a p e r
s o n ifi c a t io n o f th e G r e at S p iri t th o u g h for th e m os t p ar t h e is c l e a rl y ,
” “
a m e mb e r of th e Tri c k s ter Tr a ns fo r m er g rou p The B l a c kfe e t
- .
an d Ar a p aho w es tern Al g on q ui a ns s ha re th is c h ara c ter w i th th eir
, ,
n e ig hbo urs of S i o uan an d S a lis h s to c ks ( c f D e S m e t p 525 ; W issler .
,
.
a n d D uvall No s 1 O l d Ma n is th e h ero of th e r aft s to ry a n d
,
.
th e d iving a ni m a ls in Ara p a h o myth th e ir version o f wh i c h a s g ive n , ,
by G A D orsey p p 1 9 1 2 1 2 ; also D orse y a n d K ro e b er N os
—
.
. .
, , .
1 2, ,
is o n e of th e b e s t re c o r d ed I t is in t e res t in g to n ot e in th is .
l eg en d that th e r aft is m a d e of fo u r s t i c ks th e c ru c i for m s ymb ol of
“
th e q u a r t e rs a n d th a t i t su p p or t s a c alu m e t p ersoni fi e d a s F l at ,
” “ ”
p ip e th e Fath er an d re p resen t ing th e p a ll ad iu m of th e t ri b e
, , .
Th is c onn e c t s both w i th th e fa r n o r th a n d th e ex t re m e sou th fo r th e ,
s tory of th e r aft is k nown to th e Atha p a s c a ns of th e No rth wh ile th e ,
N av ah o a n d P u e b lo t r ad i t ions of th e flo a t in g l o g s a n d th e c ru c i fo rm
s ymbo l a re an in teres t ing s o u th e rn analog ue ( c f 8 ARB E p 27 8 ; .
, .
Th e C h ey enne c re ato r G re at Me d i c ine
“ ”
a n d Ch h VI I I iv ; IX v) . . . .
,
( G A Do r se y [b ] p p 34
. . is a si m il a r i f n o t a n i d en t i c a l b e in g
, .
, ,
e r so ni fy in g th e G r e at S p iri t or Li f e of th e Wo rl d as a c r e at ive in
p , ,
d ivi du a l Th is C h ey enne myth t ells of a P a r ad isi c a g e wh e n m e n
.
w e re n a k e d a n d inn o c e n t am i d fi e l d s of p len ty follow e d by a p e ri o d , ,
in wh i c h flood wa r a n d fam ine ensu e d u p o n th e g i ft of un d ers ta n d i n g
, , .
O ld Ma n C oyot e ( F CM
” “
Th e C row ( S i o u a n ) n am e for th e c re ato r ,
ii . is an in t e re s t in g i d en t i fi c at i o n o f th is c ha r a c t e r w i th Co y o t e .
S ee N ot es 6 4 8 Tex t references : C h VI ii ( J O D O R S E Y [d ] p
,
. . . . .
, .
C h VI I iii v . .
,
.
64 H ERMAP H R OD I T E S
. Unsexe d b eing s a p p e ar no t in f re q uen t l y
.
—
,
e sp e c i a ll y in th e mytho l o g y of th e w es t e rn ha l f of th e c o n t in e n t .
Matth e w s “
n ote 30 ) s ay s : The wo r d ( t ransl at e d h er m ap h ro d i te ) ”
“
is u s u a ll y e m p l oy e d to d e si g n at e that c lass of m e n k n ow n p e r ha p s ,
in a ll w il d In d i a n t ri b es who d ress a s wom en a n d p e rfo r m th e d u t i e s , ,
”
u su a ll y a ll o tte d to wom en in In d ian Ca m p s The c u s to m is c e rta inl y .
w i d e sp re ad F a th er Mori c e d e sc ri b es i t amo n g th e n o rth e rn Ath a
- .
N OTE S 30 9
pasc a n s ; a n d D e S m e t ( p 1 0 1 )
7 g ives .a no t e w or thy ins t an c e o f th e
“
reve rse us a g e : Am ong th e C row s I s aw a wa rri o r wh o in co n se ,
q u e n c e of a d rea m had p u t on wom e n s c lo th ing a n d su bj e c t e d h i m
’
,
s e l f to a ll th e la bo rs a n d d u t ies of that con d i t i o n so h u m ili at ing to ,
a n In d ian O n th e o th e r ha n d th ere is a wom a n a m on g th e S na k e s
.
wh o on c e d re am e d that s he wa s a m a n a nd kill e d a ni m a ls in th e c ha se .
Up o n wa k in g s h e a ssu m e d h er hu s b an d s g a r m en t s took h is g u n an d ’
,
w en t o u t t o t es t th e vir tue of he r d re am ; s h e k ill e d a d e e r S in c e .
th a t t i m e she ha s n o t l eft o ff m a n s c o s tu m e ; s h e g o es o n h u n t s ’
a n d o n th e wa r p a th ; by so m e f e a rl e ss a c t i o ns s he ha s O bta ine d th e
-
t i t le of b r a ve an d th e p rivileg e of adm i tta n c e to th e c o un c il o f th e
‘ ’
c h ie f s. P e r h a p s t he m o s t i n t ere s t in g c a se recor d e d is that o f W ewh a ,
a Zu fii m a n who d onn e d wo m a n s a tt i re d es c ri b e d by Mrs St even ’
,
.
“
so n p 3 1.0 ) a s u n d ou bt e d l y th e m os t r e m a rk ab le m e mb e r o f
”
th e t ri b e th e s t ron g e s t both m en ta ll y a n d p hy si c a ll y Th e .
assu m p t i o n o f wo m a n s att ire a n d wo rk by yo u th s re a c h in g p u b erty
’
is a m att e r of C ho i c e Th is c h oi c e th e b oy m a k e s for h i m s e l f a mo n g
.
th e Zu fi i an d do u bt l e ss al so in th e o th er Pue b l o s wh ere th e p r a c t i c e
,
“ ”
e x i st s . H e r m a p h ro d i tes h a ve a c e r ta i n myth i c r e p res e n t a t i o n in
Zu fi i c e re m oni e s a n d i t is no t ewor thy that th e Z u rfi Cre at o r is a bi
'
sexe d b eing He Sh e ( M C Stevenson [a ] p p 23
“
,
” -
. . Amo n g ,
.
,
th e t ri b es of th e N or th -W es t Coas t m yth i c h erm a p h ro d i t e dwa rf s ,
li fe-d es t roy ers a p p e a r a s d eni z ens o f th e m oon ( B o a s [g ] xxiii 3;
, ,
.
[j ] p
,
. Text referen ces : C h VI I I ii C h IX v ii
. C h XI v
. . . . . . . .
6 5 MAS K S AND EFF I GI E S
. The use o f m asks in ri t es in t en d e d
.
—
as d ra m ati c rep resen tat ions o f d e i t ies fi n d s i t s h ig h es t d evelop m en t
in th e S o u th -W es t ( a m on g th e N ava h o an d Pu e b lo t ri b es ) a n d on
th e N orth W e s t Coas t thou g h i t is n o t li m i t e d t o th e se r eg ions
-
,
.
Th e p u rp o se of th e m a sk is i m p e rsona t i o n bu t th e ir e m p loym en t is ,
n ot o n th e p ure l y d r am at i c p l a n e Sin c e th e y c a n b e wo rn onl y by,
pe rs o n s q u a li fi e d by b i rth or i n i t i at i o n i e th e m ask is t o som e -
. .
e x t e n t re g a r d e d a s a n o u twa r d exp res s i o n o f a n in wa r d c ha r a c t er
a lre ady p o s se s s e d In b o th r eg i o ns m a s k s a re a ss o c i at e d w i th c ere
.
m o ni e s in ho n o ur of a n c e s t r a l s p i ri t s o r c l a n o r s o c ie ty t u t e l a r i e s
r ath er tha n c o n c e rne d w i th th e wo rs h i p of th e g rea te r n ature-p owers .
Th e use of m a s k s ha s to a d e g re e a ff ec t e d myth : th e Zu ii i re g a r d th e
c lou d s as m a s k s o f th e c e l e s t i a l R a in Ma ke rs ; th e S un a n d Mo on a re -
m a s k e d p e rsons ; an d in th e N orth W e s t a n in t e re st ing myth i c in c i -
d e n t is th e l ay in g asi d e o f a n i m al m a s k s an d th e c onse q uen t c onve r
s ion o f th e ani m a l-b ei n g s o f th e F irs t Ag e i n t o m an k in d Wo od en .
i m a g es o f d ivine b e ing s also o cc ur in th e se s a m e reg ions a n d w i th ,
s om e ri t ual u se b u t o n th e who le i d ols are rare in Am eri c a n o r th o f
,
Mexi c o ; o bj ect s of es p ec ial san c t i ty are m ore often in th e n ature o f
“
Med i c ine an d eve n t ri b al s a cra h ave th e c h ara c ter of t alis m ans
”
,
319 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHO LO G Y
r ath e r tha n of s ymb o ls El ab ora te m as q ues o r c e re mo nies in wh i c h
.
,
m a s k e rs a re t h e c h i e f p erform ers are g ive n in th e P u e b l o s d uring th e ,
se a s o n in wh i c h th e k a tc i n as or an c e s t ral s p iri t s a re su p p o se d t o
, ,
b e p rese n t A si m il a r d ivisi o n of th e ri tu a l y e a r fo r a li k e re a s o n
.
, ,
obta ins in th e No rth W est I t is d i ffi c u l t to c ha r a c t e ri z e th e se ri tes
- .
p re c is e l y T h e y a re n o t a n c e s to r wo r s h i p in th e O ri e n ta l o r c l a ssi
.
-
c al s e n se ; fo r wh il e t he s p iri t s o f a n c e st o r s a re s u p p os e d to b e re p re
sen te d th e y a re a ss o c i at e d w i th myth i c p ow e rs a n d tote m i c t ut e
,
l a ries r ath e r tha n w i th th e w e ll b e i n g of ho u se ho l d s a n d c l a ns a s -
suc h R i t e s a t th e g r a ve a n d p r ay e rs t o th e d e ad a re a Pu e b l o c u s
.
t o m b u t th e d e c e a s e d are a dd re s s e d p r i m a ril y in th e ir myth i c r ole
,
of th e R a in Ma ke rs O n th e who l e th e d is ti n c t l y a n c est r a l c ha r a c t er
- .
,
is mo re m a r k e d in th e S o uth-W e st wh e re th e m a s k s a re c h i e fly ,
a n t h rO p o m o rp hic wh ile th e tot e m i c si g ni fi c a t ion is m ore in ev i d e n c e
,
i n th e m a i n l y a ni m a l m a s k s of th e No r th-W es t Se e N o t e s 4 27 .
, ,
30 6 1 Text refere nces : C h VI I I iv
,
. C h IX iii ( F EW K E S [a ] p p
. . . . .
,
.
26 5 n o t e 31 2 ; [e] p 1 6 ; M C S T EVE N SON [b ] p p 20 2 1 6 2 ff
—
. . . . .
, , , , , ,
31 6 57 6 ,
Ch XI 11 ( S WANTON [c ] p p 26 28 ; [d ] NO 4 1 ;
—
. .
,
.
, ,
.
B OAS a n d HU NT [a ] p p 4 9 9 50 3 50 8 50 9 ; B OAS [g ] xxii ,
.
, , , ,
.
66 TH E S WAST I KA
. Cru c i fo r m s ymbo ls a re p re Co lu mb ian in
.
- -
both t he Am e ri c a s P robab l y th e co mm on e s t fo r m is th e s wa s t i ka
.
,
t h e s ymbo lis m of wh i c h is c e r t ai n l y in so m e a n d p er ha p s in m os t , ,
u s e s th a t of a n e mb l e m o f th e Wo r l d Q u a r t ers a n d th e ir p re si d in g -
p ow e rs T h e mo . s t el e m e n ta r y e o
g g p r a h i c al f r am e is t h e c r o ss each ,
a rm of wh i c h fo r c u l t p u rp o s e s is p rovi d e d w i th a n ext ensi o n for
, ,
t h e s u p p o r t of th e g e n i i of th e d i re c t i o ns es p ec i a ll y th e p owe rs of —
w in d a n d s to rm Th e c i rc u l a r ho ri zo n is a n at u ral i m a g e w i th wh i c h
.
to c irc u m s c ri b e th is c ro ss ; a n d th u s is d e rive d a k i n d of p ri m i t ive
p r o j e c t io n of th e p l a ne of e a r th T h e s k y a bo ve is c o n c e i v e d as an
.
i nve rte d bow l ; n o t in f re qu e n t l y th e e a rt h b en e at h is s ymbo li z e d by ‘
a c o rre sp o n d i n g b ow l ( a s in th e P aw n e e H a ko c ere mon y wh ile th e ,
P u e b l o Dw e ll e r s wh o live in a l a n d e nviro n e d by mo un ta in a n d
,
m e s a e m p l oy t e rr a c e d bow ls in th e s am e s ens e) ; a n d th us th e s p h e r
,
“ ”
i c a l univ e rse is d e fi n e d in a ll b u t wo rd ( c f th e two kett le p a ll ad i u m .
“
of th e Two K e tt le S i ou x a d ivision of th e Te to n ) I t is in t er .
e s t in g t o n ot e that in th e S ia c os m og o n y th e fi r s t a c t o f S p i d e r a b ou t ,
to c re at e th e wo r l d is t o d r aw a c ross an d to s tat ion g o dd e s se s at
,
th e e a s t e rn an d wes t e rn p o in t s S ee N ot e s 1 1 31 a n d c f Thom as .
, ,
.
W il so n The Swa s t i ka in Rep o rt of the Un ited States N a tio n a l
“
, ,
Mus eu m 1 8 94 ; an d 30 B B E Cross
,
“
Text references: C h IX , . . .
11 V I
,
.
67 S E V E N C I T I E S O F C I B O LA
.
—
The K in g d o m o f Ci b ola w i th .
,
i t s s eve n c i t i e s wa s d is c ove re d by F r ay Ma rc o s of N i z a in 1 539
”
, ,
a n d th e c o nse q u e n c e of h is
g low ing d e s c ri p t ion w as th e Corona d o e x
31 2 N O R TH AME R I CAN M YTHO LO G Y
e a rli e r b e ing s a ni m al or sem i-h u m an in fo rm is usuall y a ra th e r ,
u ni m p o r ta n t th e m e w i th li tt le myth i c exp ansion
, Men are m a d e .
f rom c l ay s t i c k s fea th e rs g r a ss ears of m ai z e an d in one in t e re s t
, , , , , ,
in g myth r e c or d e d by Cur t in f ro m th e b ones o f th e d e a d Som e
'
, .
”
t i m e s th e y a re e a r th bo rn o r issue f rom a s p ring or s w a m p ; an d
-
,
in th e N or th -We s t c arve d i m ag es are v iv ifi e d t o b e co m e h u m a n
a n ce sto rs See Notes 1 5 1 8 34 35 4 6 57 Text references : C h IX
.
, , , , , . . .
vi .
—
C h X v ( GODDA R D [c] p 1 8 5 ; KR O EB ER [e] p 9 4 ; CU RT I N
. .
, .
, .
[b ] p p 39
,
. Ch XI ii ( B OA S [g ] xxii I
. . iv ( B OA S [j ] p p
, .
, , .
—
29 3
31 6 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
Ma nuel d a r chéo lo gie a m erica ine B y H B e u c hat P a ris 19 1 2
’
’
. . .
,
“
Myth o l o g y of In d i a n Sto c k s No r th of Me xi co by A F C h a m , . .
b e rl a in in j A F L xviii
,
A ls o sa m e au th or In d i a ns , , ,
N o rth Am eri c an in En cyclo p a edia B ri ta nn ica 1 1 t h e d
, , .
Eth n o l o g y in th e J esui t R e l at ions
”
by J D Mc G u ire in A A n ew ,
. .
, ,
s eries iii , ( G ui d e to th e m a terials in j R ) .
III . CO LLECTI ON S AN D PER I O D I CALS
P u b li c a t ions o f th e S m i th soni a n Ins t i t u t i o n , Wa s h ing to n , D C .
Co n tr ibu ti o ns to N o rth A mer ica n Ethn o l o gy, vo l s . i—vii ,
ix ,
1 8 77— 93
A nn u a l Rep o rt of the B u rea u of A m er i ca n Ethn o lo gy, 18 8 1 ff .
B u lleti n , B u rea u of A m er i ca n Ethn o l o gy, 1 8 8 7 ff .
Rep o rt o f the Un ited Sta tes N a ti o n a l Mu s eu m 1 8 8 4 ff ,
.
Pu b li c a t ions o f th e Am eri c a n Museu m o f N a tural His tory N e w ,
Y o rk :
A n thro p o lo gica l P a p ers , 1 90 7 ff .
Mem o irs , 1 8 9 8 ff .
B u lleti n , 1 8 8 1 ff .
P u bl i ca ti o ns of the A m er i ca n Ethno lo gica l So ciety . F . Boa s, e d i tor .
Leyd en , 1 90 7 ff (Tex t s a n d t ransla t i o ns )
. .
P u blica tio ns o f the F ield Co lu m bi a n Mus eu m . A n thr o p o lo gi cal Series .
C h i c a go ,
1 8 95 ff .
Univers i ty of Ca lifo r n i a P u bli ca ti o ns i n A rcha eo lo gy a nd Ethno lo gy .
B erkele y , Cal .
,
1 90 3 ff .
Mem o irs of Ca n a da Dep a rtment o f Mi nes . A n thr o p o lo gi ca l Seri es .
O tt a w a ,
1 9 14 ff .
Tra ns a ctio ns o f the Ca n adi a n I ns titu te . Toron to , 1 8 89 ff .
P ro ceedi n gs a nd Tr a ns a cti o ns o f
Ro ya l So ciety the o f Ca nada . Mo n t
re a l 1 st seri e s
, ,
1 8 8 3 9 5 ; 2d series , 1 8 9 5 ff
—
.
”
Eth n o l o g i c a l S urve y o f Cana d a in Rep o rts of the B ri tis h Ass o ci a
,
ti o n fo r the Adva ncem e nt of Scie n ce, 1 8 9 7 1 9 02
—
Lon do n , 1 8 9 8 .
1 90 3 .
Co mp tes rendus d u Co n gri s i nter n a ti o n a l des A m érica n is tes . P a r is
and elsewh ere, 1 8 7 8 ff .
P u blica tio ns f the Ha kluyt So ciety Vols i lx i Lon do n , 1 8 4 7— 89
—
o . . x x . .
P u bli ca ti o ns of the Cha m p la i n So ci ety To ro n to 1 90 7 ff .
,
.
j es u i t Re l a ti o ns a n d All i ed D o c u m e n ts R T hw ai t e s e d i tor . .
, . Vols i .
lxx . Cin c inna t i 1 8 96 190 1 ,
—
.
B I B LIO G R A P HY 31 7
Ea rly Wes tern Tr a vels . R Thw ai t es ,
. e d i tor . Vols . i— xxxu . Cleve
lan d 19 0 4 0 7,
—
.
Vo yages , rela ti o ns et m ém o ir es o r igi n a ux p o u r servi r d l his to i re de la
’
deco u verte de l A m ér i q u e H Te rn au x-Co m p a ns , e d i tor Tom e s
'
’
. . .
i— xx P a ris , 1 8 37— 4 1
.
( Ma inl y Lat in Am e r i c a ) . .
Libr a ry of A bo r i gi na l A m er i ca n Li tera tu re . D . B rin ton , e d i tor V o ls. .
i— vi P h il ad e l p h ia , 1 8 8 2 8 5
.
—
.
En cyclo p a edi a of Reli gi o n a nd Ethi cs . J a m es Ha s t ing s e d i to r ,
. Ed in
b urg h a n d N e w Yor k , 1 90 8 ff .
A m er i ca n A n thr o p o lo gis t . V o ls . i —
xi , W as h in g ton ,
1 8 8 8— 9 8 ; n ew
seri e s , vo ls i ff , N ew . . Yo r k ,
1 8 9 9 ff .
j f
o u rn a l o A m er ica n F o lk-Lo re . B o s to n and N e w Y o r k 1 8 8 8 ff ,
.
Memo irs of the A mer i ca n F o lk -Lo re So ciety . B os ton a n d N ew York ,
1 8 94 ff .
IV . G EN ERAL W O R KS
( a ) Des cr ip tive
CAT L I N , G E O R G E , [a ] , Illu s tr a ti o ns of the Ma nn ers a nd Cu s to m s a nd
Co n diti o n of the N o r th A m er i ca n I nd i a ns 2 vols 2 d c d , Lo n . . .
d o n , 1 8 66 .
[b ] Letters a n d N o tes o n the Ma n n ers , Cus to ms , a n d Co n di
,
ti o n of the N o r th A m er i ca n I n dia ns 2 v o ls N ew Y o r k an d . .
Lo n do n , 1 8 44 .
DE S M ET ,
Life, Letters a nd Tra vels of F a ther P i erre j ea n D e Sm et,
S .
j C hit t e n do n an d R i c ha r d son , e d i tors 4 vols N e w Y o rk , . .
1 90 5 .
M Tom es ii P aris
’
LA F I TA U , J F ,
ce u r s des
. s a u va g.es a m e r i q u a i n s i—
. .
1 7 24 (An e d i t io n in 4 vo ls wa s a ls o iss u e d si m ul t an eou sl y )
. . .
S C H OO L CRAFT , H R , [a ] , A lgic Res ea rches N ew York, 1 8 39
. . . .
,
Sta tis ti ca l I nfo r m a ti o n Res p ecti n g the H is
[b ] H is to r i ca l a nd
to ry, Co ndi ti o n a n d P r o s p ects of the I n di a n Tri bes of the Un i ted
Sta tes P ar t s i iv
—
. P h il ad el p h i a , 1 8 5 1 57
—
. .
( b) Cr iti ca l
B R I NT O N , D . G .
, [a] Myths of,
the New Wo rld .
3d cd .
,
P h ila d el p h ia ,
1 8 96 .
[b ] A m eri ca n Hero Myths P h ila d el p h i a 1 8 8 2
,
.
, .
[c] Ess ays of a n A meri ca nis t Ph ila d el p h ia 1 8 90
,
.
,
.
LOWI E , R O B E R T H
“
The Tes t-Th em e in N or t h Am eri c an.
, Myth
”
olog y ,
in j AFL xx i
31 8 N O RTH AME R I CAN MYTHOLO G Y
P OW E LL , J ”W . .
,
S k e t c h of t he Myth ol o g y of t he N o rth Am eri c an
In d ian s ,
in I A RB E
RAD I N PA UL
, ,
Li tera ry As p ects of N o rth A mer i ca n Mytho l o gy ( Mu seu m
B ulleti n N o 1 6 , Ca na da D ep a rtm en t of Mi n es )
. O tt a w a , 1 9 1 5 . .
V . S ELECT AUTHO R I TI ES
C H APT E R I
AM U ND S E N , R . The N o rthwes t P ass a ge . Lo n d on , 1 90 8 .
”
B OA S , F .
, [a] ,
Th e C e n t r a l Es k i mo in 6 A RB E ,
Es k i m o o f B afl i n Lan d it n d Hu d s o n
“
[b ] ,
The B ay , in
B AM xv
“
[c] ,
Es k i mo Ta l e s
an d S on g s in [ AFL ii V l l x ( 1 8 8 9 , , ,
GO S L I N G W G La bra do r Lon d on 19 10
,
. .
,
.
,
.
MU R D O CH J O H N Eth n o l o g i c a l Resul t s of th e Poin t B a rrow
“
, , Ex
”
p e dit io n , in 9 A RB E
N AN S E N ,
F .
,
Es k i m o Life . 2d e d .
,
Lo n d on , 1 8 94 .
N E L S ON ,
E W .
,
“
The Es k i mo a bo u t B e rin g S tra i t ,
in 18 A RB E
P E A R Y, R The Co nq u es t of the P o le
.
,
N e w Yor k , . 19 1 1 .
RA SM U S S E N , K N U D , The P eo p le of the P o la r N o rth . Lo n do n , 1 90 8 .
RI N K H .
,
Tales an d Tr aditi o ns o f the Es k i m o . Lon d on , 18 75 .
S T E FAN S S O N My Life with the Es k i m o N ew Yor k 1 9 1 3
, V .
,
.
,
.
THA L B ITZE R W I LL I AM [a ]
“
Th e He ath e n P ries t s of Ea s t G re en
, , ,
”
lan d in 1 5 I n ter n a t A m er i k a n is ten-K o n gress Vi en n a 1 9 1 0
,
. .
, .
”
[b ]
“
Es k i m o ,
in Ha n dbo o k of A m eri ca n I n dia n La n gu a ges ,
( 4 0 B B B p ar t W as h ing to n 1 9 1 1 ( B i b liog ra p hy of Es k i m o
, ,
.
li tera ture ) .
C H A PT E RS I I I I I —
( a) Algo n q u i a n Tr ibes
B A R B E A U , C M , Hu r o n a nd Wya n do t Mytho lo gy ( Memo irs
. . of Ca na da
Dep a rtm ent of Mi nes A n thr o p o lo gi ca l Series , N o . . O ttawa ,
19 1 5 .
B L A I R , E H , I n di a n Tr ibes of the Up p er Miss iss ipp i a nd the Grea t
. .
La k es Regi o ns 2 vols Clevelan d , 19 1 1 ( Ea rl y d ocu m en t s )
. . . .
B R I NTON , D G , [d ] , The Lendp e a nd their Legen ds ( Li bra ry of Abo
’
. .
r igi n a l A m er i ca n Li tera tu r e, v ) P h il ad e l p h i a , 1 8 8 5 . .
CO P W A Y , G E O RG E The Oj ibwa y N a tio n ,
. Lon d on , 1 8 50 .
320 N O RTH A ME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
j R . Es p e c i a ll y B ré b e u f s Rel at i o n f ro m th e Huron
’ “
Mission an d
J o g u e s Le tt e r f ro m t h e I roq uois c ou n t ry
’
.
MO R G AN L H Leagu e of the I r o q u o is H M Lloyd e d i tor
,
. .
,
. . .
, . 2 vols .
,
N e w Y o r k 1 90 1 ,
.
S M I T H ER MI N N I E A Myth s o f th e Iro q uois in 2 A RB E
,
.
, ,
C H A PT E R IV
( a) I ro q u o i a n Tr ibes
MOO N E Y J AM E S [a] , , ,
S a c re d F orm ul a s of th e C h erokee ,
in 7 A RB E
Myth s o f th e C h ero k ee in 1 9 A RB E p a r t 1
[b ] , , ,
R OY C E C H A R L E S C
“ ”
,
The C h e ro k ee N at ion o f In d i a ns .
, ,
ARB E
( b) Mu s k ho gea n Tr ibes
B U S H N E LL , D I
“
. .
, [a ] ,
Th e C ho c t a w of B ayo u La c omb , Louisiana ,
in 4 8 B B E
[b ] ,
“
Myth s of th e Lo uisian a C hoc t a w ,
in A A , n ew s e ries ,
xi i
G A TSC H ET, A S , [a ] , A Migr a ti o n Legen d of the Creek I n di a ns ( Li br a ry
. .
of A bo r i gi n a l A m er i ca n Li tera tu re , iv) P h il ad e l p h i a , 1 8 8 4 . .
MA C CA UL E Y CL AY , ,
“
Th e S e m in o le In d ia ns of F l o ri da ,
”
in 5 A RB E
SPECK F ,
. G .
,
N o t e s on C h i c kasa w Eth n o log y an d F olklore ,
in
j A FL xx
( c) Uchea n Sto ck
G A TSC H ET, A . S , [b ] ,
. S o m e Myth i c Stories of th e Yu c h i In d ians ,
in A A vi
C H A PT ER S V— VI
( a ) N o r thern A thap as ca n
P J , [a ] , S u p ers t i t i o ns of th e Ten a In d ians
’
J E TT E , . On . t he ,
in
A nthr o p o s , V 11
[b ] ,
a rt t . in j o u r n al o f A n thr o p o lo gi ca l I ns titu te of Grea t
the
B ri ta i n an d I rela nd, xxxviii— xxxi x ( 190 8 ( Te xt s a n d
myth s ) .
LO FT H O U S E B is h op , C h i p ewy an
, Stories , in Tra ns actio ns of the
Ca n a dia n I ns titu te, vol x, p ar t . 1
MO R I C E A , . G .
, [a] ,
“
The G rea t D é n é R a c e, in A n throp os , i
—
v
( 1 90 6
B I B LIO G RA P HY 32 1
MO RI C E A G , [b ] , a rt t in Tr a ns a cti o ns of the Ca n adi a n I ns titu te, P r o
,
. . .
ceed i n gs a n d Tr a ns a cti o ns of the Ro y a l So ci ety of Ca na da , Co mp tes
re n du s d u Co n grés i n ter n a ti o n a l d es A ni ér i ca n is tes .
P E T ITO T , EM I L E , Tra ditio ns i ndien nes du Ca n a da n o r d-o u es t . Alen
co n , 18 87.
( b) A lgo n q u i a n a nd K i o wa n
D O R S E Y G A [a ] The Ar a p a h o S un D a n c e in F CM iv
, . .
, ,
“
,
[b ] The C h e y enne in ECM ix
“ ”
, ,
D O R S E Y a n d K R O E B E R Tra d i t ions o f th e Ara p a ho in F CM v
“
, ,
( 1 90 3)
G R I N N E LL G E O R G E
,
B .
, [a] B la ckfo o t Lo dge Ta les
,
. N e w York ,
1 8 92 .
MC CL I NTO C K WA L T ER The Old N o rth Tra il N ew York 1 9 10
, ,
.
,
MOO N E Y J AM E S [c ] C a l en d a r Hi sto ry o f th e K i owa In d i a ns
,
“
, , ,
in
1 7 A RB E p a r t 1 ,
W I S S L E R a n d D U VA LL Myth ol o g y o f th e B la c kfoo t In d ians , ,
in
P A M ii
( c) Si o u a n Tr ibes
D ORS EY G ,
. A [c] Tr ad i t ions o f t he O s a g e in F CM vii
.
, , ,
“ ”
D ORS EY J ,
. O W E N [a ] D h e g i h a Text s in Co n tr ibu tio ns to N o rth
, , ,
A m er i ca n Ethn o lo gy, vi
“
[b ] O m a h a S oc i o l o g y
, ,
in 3 A RB E
[c ] O sa g e Tra d i t i o ns
, ,
in 6 ARB E
”
[d ] A Stu dy o f S iouan
,
Cul t s ,
in II ARB E
”
[e] S iou a n S oc iolog y
, , in 15 A RB E
EASTMAN C H A R L E S A [a ] The
,
.
, , So u l of the I n di a n . B os ton , 19 1 1 .
[b ] I n di a n
,
B o yho o d . N e w Yor k ,
1 90 2 .
F L E T C H ER AL I C E C
“
, .
,
and LA F L E SC H E , F .
,
Th e O m a h a Tr i b e ,
in 2 7 A RB E
L OW I E , R O B ER T H , .
[a ] ,
The Assini b oin e , in PA M iv
MOON E Y J AM E S [d ] The G hos t D an ce Re lig ion in 1 4 A RB E
, , ,
“
-
,
”
,
p ar t 2
W I LL a n d S P I ND E N The Ma n d an In d ians in P eabo dy Museu m
, ,
P a p ers iii Ca m b ri d g e 1 90 6
,
.
,
.
( d) Caddo a n Tr ibes
D O R S E Y, G A [d ] Mytho lo gy of the Wi chita W as h ing ton 190 4
. .
, ,
.
,
.
[]
e Tr a d i,
ti o ns of the S k i d i P a wn ee B os t on an d N e w Y or k .
,
1 90 4 .
322 N O RTH AME R I CAN M YTHOLO G Y
D ORS EY G ,
. A .W as h ing ton 1 90 5
, [f] Tra diti o ns of the Ca ddo
,
.
,
.
[g ] The P a wnee Mytho lo gy p ar t i W as h in g ton 190 6
, , ,
.
, .
[h] Tra ditio ns of the A ri k a ra W as h ing to n 190 4
,
.
, .
F L E T C H ER A L I C E C ,
“
Th e Ha ko : a P a w nee Cere m oni a l in 22
.
, ,
A RB E p a r t 2 ,
G R I NN E LL G E O R G E B [b ] The Sto ry of the I ndia n N e w Yo r k
,
.
, , .
,
1 8 98 .
[] c ,
P a wnee Her o Sto ries a nd F o lk - Ta les . N ew York ,
1 90 9 .
CH APT E R VI I
( a) Sa lis ha n Tr ibes
F A R RA ND ,
L .
, Tra d i t ions o f th e Q uinaul t In d ians ,
in MAM iv
MC D ER M OTT ,
LO U I SA , F ol k lore of th e F la th e a d In d ians o f I d a ho ,
inj AFL xiv
TEI T J AM E S [a] Tra diti o ns of the Tho m p s o n
, , ,
River I n di a ns of B r itis h
Co l u m bi a ( Mem o i rs of the A m er i ca n F o l k -Lo re So ciety, v i) .
B o s ton an d New Yo r k 1 8 9 8 ,
.
[b ] ,
Th e Thom p s o n R iver In d i a ns o f B ri t is h Colu m b ia
in MA M ii
[c ] ,
“
Th e Lillo o e t , in MAM iv
[d ] , The S h us wa p ,
in MA M iv
( b) Sha ha p ti a n Tr ibes
PA C K A R D , R L Not es o n th e Mytho l og y a n d Reli g ion of th e Nez
. .
,
”
P e r c és , in
j AF L iv
S P I ND E N H J [a ] Myth s o f th e N e z Pe rc é In d i a ns in j AF L xxi
,
“
. .
, , ,
[b ] ,
The N e z Pe rc é In d ians ,
in Mem o irs of the A mer ica n
A nthro p o lo gi ca l Ass o ci a ti o n ii ,
( c) Sho s ho n ea n Tr ibes
KR O E B E R A L [a ] Ut e Ta l e s in j AF L xiv
,
. .
, , ,
LOW I E R O B ER T H in P A M
“ ”
, [b ] The N orth e rn Sh o s ho ne .
, , , ii
MASON J A Myth s o f th e Uin tah Utes in j AF L xx iii
,
. .
, ,
MOON E Y J AM E S [d ] The G ho s t D a n c e Re lig i o n in 1 4
“
,
-
”
, , ,
A RB E,
p ar t 2
324 N O RTH AME R I CA N M YTHOLO G Y
F EW K E S , J W [a ] T
.us aya n Kat.c in
,
a s i n
,
1 5 A RB E ,
[b ] Tus aya n S na k e C e re m oni e s in 1 6 A RB E
, ,
”
[c] Tusa y an F lu t e a n d S na k e Cere m onies
,
in , 19 A RB E
[d ] ,
Mi g ra t ion Tra d i t ions in 1 9 A RB E
Tusa ya n ,
”
[e ] Hop i K a t c in a s in 2 1 A RB E
, ,
[f] The Tusa y an R i tual : a Stu dy o f th e In fl uen c e of Env i
,
ro n m e n t o n Ab ori g inal Cul t s in A n n u a l Rep o rt of the Sm i ths o ,
n ia n I ns titu ti o n , 1 8 96 .
LU MM I S , C H A R L E S F P u eblo I ndia n F o lk Sto r ies N ew York 19 10
.
, .
,
S T E VE N S ON MAT I L DA CO X E [a ] Th e Reli g ious Li fe of th e Zun i
,
“
, ,
”
C h il d in 5 A RB E
,
”
[b ] The S ia in 1 1 A RB E
, ,
[c ] The Zu fi i In d i a ns
,
in 23 A RB E ,
VO T H H R The Tra d i t ions of th e Hop i in F CM v iii
,
.
“
.
,
”
,
CH APT E R X
( a ) Ca lifo r n ia n Tribes
B AN C R O FT HU B ER T HOW E The N a ti ve Ra ces of
,
P a cifi c States of
, the
N o r th A m er ica , iii , Myth s a n d L a n g u a g es ; als o , Au t ho ri
“ ” “
t ies Q uot e d , i , for b i b li o g ra p hy N e w Yor k , 1 8 7 5
”
. .
CU R T I N , J E R E M I A H , [a] , Crea tio n Myths of P ri m itive A m erica B os ton , .
19 1 2 .
D I X O N , R B , [b ] , S h as t a Myth s , in j AF L xxiii
. .
[c] Mai d u Myth s , in BAM xvii ( 190 2
,
“ ”
[d ] Ma idu Texts ( P u blica ti o ns of the A m eri ca n Ethno lo gical
,
So ci ety, iv) Le yd en 1 9 1 2 .
, .
GODDA R D P E , [b ] Hu p a Tex t s in UVC i
,
“
.
, ,
”
[c] K a to Tex t s in UVC v ( 190 7 I o )
, ,
—
.
KR O E B ER A L [c] In d ian Myth s o f S ou th Cen t ral Cali fornia
,
“
. .
, , ,
in UVC iv
[d] The Re li g ion o f th e In d ians o f Cali fornia , in UVC iv
,
[e] Wisho sk Myth s in j AF L xviii
, ,
ME R R I AM C HA RT The D awn of the Wo rld: Myths a nd Weird Tales
,
.
,
To ld by the Mewa n I ndi a ns of Ca l ifo r nia Cleve lan d 19 10 .
,
.
P OW E R S S T E P H E N
“ ”
, Tri b es of Cali forni a,
in Co ntributio ns to N orth ,
A m erica n Ethn o lo gy, iii
B I B LIO G R AP HY 325
( b) Orego n ia n Tr ibes
B OAS , F .
, [d ] , Ch inoo k Te x t s in 20 BBB
[e] ,
K at hla m e t Text s , in 26 BBB
CU R T I N J ERE M I A H [b ] Myths of the Mo do cs Bos ton 1 9 1 2
, , ,
.
,
.
F RA C H T E N B E R G L J [a ] Co o s Tex ts ( Co l u m bia Un ivers i ty Co n
,
. .
, ,
tr ibu ti o n s to A n thr o p o l o gy i ) N e w York 1 9 1 3 ,
.
,
.
[b ] Lo wer Um p q u a Tex ts ( Co l u m bia Un i vers ity Co n tri bu tio ns
,
to A n thr o p o lo gy iv ) N e w Y o r k 1 9 14
,
.
,
“
G A TS C H ET A S [c ] , O reg o ni a n F ol k-Lore
.
, ,
in j AF L iv ( 1 8 9 1) ,
[d ] The K l a m a th I n d i a n s of S ou thw es t ern O reg on
, ,
Co n tri bu tio ns to N o rth A m er i ca n Ethn o lo gy ii ,
S A P I R EDWA R D Wis hra m Texts ( P u blicati o ns of the A merica n Eth
, ,
n o l o gi cal So ci ety ii ) Leyd en 1 90 9 ,
.
, .
C H APT E R XI
B OA S , F .
, [f] ,
Th e Kw a k iu t l In d ians , in Rep o r t f
o the Un ited States
N a ti o na l Mu s eu m ,
1895 .
[g ] ,
I ndi a n is che Sagen vo n der N o rd-P a cifis chen K us te B e rlin , .
rin t e d f r o Z f f iii xxvii )
'
1895 .
( p
R e m e i ts chr i t ur Ethn o l o i
g ,e xx -
.
“ ”
[h ] Tshim sh ian Tex t s in 2 7 B BE
, ,
[i ] Ts hims hi a n Texts ( P u blica tio ns of the A merica n Ethn o l o g
,
i ca l So ciety iii ) Le yd e n 1 9 1 2,
.
,
.
The Myth olog y o f th e B ella Coola In d ians in MA M 11
“
[j ] , ,
[k] The Kw a k iu t l o f Van couver Islan d
,
in MA M viii ,
( 19 0 9 )
[l] Tshim shian Myth ol o g y
,
in 31 A RB E ( a nnoun ce d ) ,
.
B OA S F an d H U NT G , [a ]
,
.
,
“
Kw a k iu t l Text s in MA M v
”
,
.
, ,
,
“
[b ] Kwa kiu t l Tex t s S e con d S e ri e s .
,
”
in MA M xiv
J O H N S O N E PA UL I N E , Legends of Va n co u ver
,
. . 8 t h c d Van couver
.
, ,
19 13 .
J ON E S L F A Stu dy of the Tli n gits of Alas k a N e w York 1 9 14
,
. .
,
.
, .
“
S WANTON J O H N E [a ] ,
C o n t ri b u t ions to th e Eth nolog y of th e
.
, ,
Hai d a in MA M viii ,
[b ] H a i d a Te xt s in MAM xiv
, ,
H a i d a Tex t s an d Myth s in 29 B B B
”
[c] , ,
[d ] Tling i t Myth s a n d Text s in 39 B B E
, ,
”
[e] The Tlin g i t In d ians in 26 ARB E
, ,
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