Creation Myths of Primitive America Part 31

"What kind of food have you?"

"Venison and acorn porridge."

"I do not eat that kind of food."

"Here is a man who has not eaten," said Tsudi; "he cannot eat that food."

Farther on was found Kiriu, who had not eaten, and a third, a very young man, Tsararok. "I should like to eat," said he, "but I am timid.

There are so many people here eating."

"What kind of food do you eat, Kiriu?" asked Tsudi.

"I cannot eat venison. I eat what lives in the water." The other two men said the same.

Waida Dikit went to his old house, where he had dried fish. He caught besides a net full of little fish. He cooked both kinds and carried them to the sweat-house, set them down in the middle, and said, "Now come and eat."

Memtulit ate, so did Kiriu. Tsararok came after a while. He began to eat the little fish, didn't see the other kind; this is why Tsararok likes small fish to this day.

The old man asked again, "Have all eaten?"

"We have," answered all.

There was as much food in the two baskets as at first, and the old man put them outside the house. Sedit saw this, and was angry. He said that people should leave nothing.

"Don't talk so," said Patkilis. "What is done is right."

"You are all free to stay longer," said Waida Dikit, "but I suppose that you wish to go home, I suppose you are in a hurry."

"Why should we go so soon?" asked Sedit. "The people from the west might tell us what they know; we ought to tell them something."

"Keep quiet, Sedit," said Patkilis. "I told you not to talk. There are many big men here, better men than you, but they don't talk. Waida Dikit says that we have stayed long enough; that is what he means; you ought to know it. He spoke as he did because he wished to say something nice to us and be friends; but you must keep still."

A man on the west side rose now and came toward the middle of the house, near the fire, stood there, looked about, and spat on the ground. All the people saw him spit, and in an instant they saw a small basket rise out of the spittle. Inside the basket were acorns of mountain live oak. This man was Pat.i.t. He went back to his place and lay down. Waida Dikit set the basket in the middle of the sweat-house, picked out an acorn, ate it, and said,--

"People, come and eat. My friend Pat.i.t has made this for you,--this is his food."

They never had acorns of that kind till then. Nop came first to the basket to eat, and to this day he is fond of acorns. Then Tsihl and Wima and Tichelis and Tsudi and Tsaik went to the basket and ate, and all are fond of acorns now. No matter how many they took from the basket, the acorns were none the less.

Sedit sat back ill-natured; he wanted them to eat all the acorns.

Waida Dikit put the basket outside.

Tsihl rose now, went to the place where Pat.i.t had spat, and put an empty basket on the ground. He untied a wide strap, or braid of gra.s.s, which he wore around his wrist, and held down his hand. Something flowed out of it, like water, till the basket was filled. Then he tied up his wrist again. The basket was full of seeds of sugar pine. Waida Dikit ate of them; then called all to eat. People came and ate all they wanted. The basket was as full as before. Sedit was very angry.

Hau came forward and put down a stone cup. He held his ear over it, scratched the ear, and out came a stream of manzanita berries. These were the first manzanita. No one had ever seen those berries in the world before. Waida Dikit ate a handful of the berries and sat down--said nothing. All the people hurried to eat, crowded around the cup, ate as long as they were able, but could not decrease the berries. Presently Waida Dikit began to itch. He did not know what troubled him. Soon spots came out all over his body--red, yellow, and black. This was because he had eaten the berries. His spirit was afraid of what he had eaten. His spirit did not wish that he should eat berries, they were not his kind of food; and that was why the spots came out on him. It was his spirit's fear that brought out the spots, and he has been spotted ever since. He ate not because he wished, but because he was master of the house. It was for him to taste everything, or people would think it bad food.

Now Wima came, put down a basket, and untied a white wristband which he wore, held his hand down, and wild plums dropped into the basket and filled it.

This time Waida Dikit sent Tichelis to taste the plums and set out the basket. People ate, but there were as many plums as before.

These different kinds of food were given to the world for the first time then, and this is why we have them now.

Tsaik came to the middle of the sweat-house. He tapped the ground with his nose, and out came a great pile of acorns.

Sedit had eaten as much as he could, and was angry because any was put away. He kept saying to Patkilis, "I don't like that."

"Sedit," answered Patkilis, "I have warned you against talking so much. Don't you know that after a while all the new kind of people, the people to come, will use food in this way, eat what they want, and put the rest away?"

"You people have talked and been friendly," said Waida Dikit. "This is the food we need; this will be our only food hereafter."

"Well," said Kanhlalas, standing up, "I think we have almost finished.

If we stay here too long, some bad people may see us and talk about what we are doing."

Others said: "Yes, we have given all the food we have. If this gathering lasts longer, bad people may find us and make trouble."

"That is true," said the a.s.sembly; "let us part."

"We will part," said Waida Dikit. "I am going to my old house and will stay there forever. If salmon come up the Wini Mem, they will come as far as my house and go back."

Next morning all set out for their homes. Tsihl changed his mind on the road, and went back to Tede Puyuk, where he found that all had gone except Sedit, Patkilis, Nop, and Hau. These four were outside the sweat-house, and Tsihl said,--

"We have come back to look at this place again; it pleases us."

They stayed awhile, travelled through the country, and when Olelbis sent people down here, coyotes, jack rabbits, deer, red-foxes, and black bear came to Tede Puyuk, and there were many of them ever after around that whole country.

NORWANCHAKUS AND KERIHA

PERSONAGES

After each name is given that of the creature or thing unto which the personage was changed subsequently.

=Eltuluma=, ----; =Hubit=, wasp; =Keriha=, ----; =Kuntihle=, a small bird unknown; =Lasaswa=, large spider; =Nodal Monoko=, ----; =Norwanchakus=, ----; =Norwinte=, ----; =Patkilis=, jack rabbit; =p.a.w.nit=, kangaroo rat; =Pom Norwanen Pitchen=, daughter of the Southern Border, the same as =Norwan=; =Puriwa=, dark; =Supchit=, ----; =Sanihas=, daylight; =Tsaik=, blue jay; =Tsiwihl=, blue-breasted lizard; =Waida Werris=, polar star.

The two brothers Norwanchakus and Keriha were on this earth before any place or thing had a name. When Olelbis took the sky pole and made a deep furrow from the foot of Bohem Puyuk to the lower valley, and a river came, the two brothers were at the end of the furrow and started toward the north. Norwanchakus was the elder; Keriha was very small.

When the brothers started, they could not see well. There was no sun then; there was only a kind of dim twilight. Waida Werris was in the sky, and saw the brothers. Fish had got into all rivers now from the southern pond, where Kuntihle Herit had caught the first fish.

"There are fish in the river," said Keriha; "let us catch some. Let us take a net up the river and come down with it."

"We have no net, and there is no light; we cannot see anything," said the elder brother.

"Go, my brother," said Keriha, "to where the sky comes down on the northwest; go out under it. You will find there the plant kuruti; bring it."