第2章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southw",免费读到尾

  Thesunwearsashirtofdresseddeerskin,withleggingsofthesamereachingtohisthighs。Theshirtandleggingsarefringed。Hismoccasinsarealsoofdeerskinandembroideredinyellow,red,andturkisbeads。Hewearsakiltofdeerskin,havingasnakepainteduponit。Hecarriesabowandarrows,thequiverbeingofcougarskin,hangingoverhisshoulder,andheholdshisbowinhislefthandandanarrowinhisright。HealwayswearsthemaskwhichprotectshimfromthesightofthepeopleofHa—arts。

  Atthetopofthemaskisaneagleplumewithparrotplumes;aneagleplumeisateachside,andoneatthebottomofthemask。Thehairaroundtheheadandfaceisredlikefire,andwhenitmovesandshakespeoplecannotlookcloselyatthemask。Itisnotintendedthattheyshouldobserveclosely,elsetheywouldknowthatinsteadofseeingthesuntheyseeonlyhismask。

  Themooncametotheupperworldwiththesunandhealsowearsamask。

  EachnightthesunpassesbythehouseofSussistinnako,thespider,whoaskshim,\"Howaremychildrenabove?Howmanyhavediedto—day?Howmanyhavebeenbornto—day?\"Thesunlingersonlylongenoughtoanswerhisquestions。Hethenpassesontohishouseintheeast。

  TheFoxesandtheSunYurok(nearKlamathRiver,Cal。)

  Onceuponatime,theFoxeswereangrywithSun。Theyheldacouncilaboutthematter。ThentwelveFoxeswereselected—twelveofthebravesttocatchSunandtiehimdown。Theymaderopesofsinew;thenthetwelvewatcheduntiltheSun,ashefollowedthedownwardtrailinthesky,touchedthetopofacertainhill。ThentheFoxescaughtSun,andtiedhimfasttothehill。ButtheIndianssawthem,andtheykilledtheFoxeswitharrows。Thentheycutthesinews。ButtheSunhadburnedagreatholeintheground。TheIndiansknowthestoryistrue,becausetheycanseetheholewhichSunburned。

  TheTheftofFireKarok(nearKlamathRiver,Cal。)

  TherewasnofireonearthandtheKarokswerecoldandmiserable。Farawaytotheeast,hiddeninatreasurebox,wasfirewhichKareyahadmadeandgiventotwooldhags,lesttheKaroksshouldstealit。SoCoyotedecidedtostealfirefortheIndians。

  Coyotecalledagreatcounciloftheanimals。AfterthecouncilhestationedalinefromthelandoftheKarokstothedistantlandwherethefirewaskept。LionwasnearesttheFireLand,andFrogwasnearesttheKarokland。LionwasstrongestandFrogwasweakest,andtheotheranimalstooktheirplaces,accordingtothepowergiventhembyMan。

  ThenCoyotetookanIndianwithhimandwenttothehilltop,buthehidtheIndianunderthehill。Coyotewenttothetepeeofthehags。Hesaid,\"Good—evening。\"Theyreplied,\"Good—evening。\"

  Coyotesaid,\"Itiscoldouthere。Canyouletmesitbythefire?\"Sotheylethimsitbythefire。Hewasonlyacoyote。Hestretchedhisnoseoutalonghisforepawsandpretendedtogotosleep,buthekeptthecornerofoneeyeopenwatching。Sohespentallnightwatchingandthinking,buthehadnochancetogetapieceofthefire。

  ThenextmorningCoyoteheldacouncilwiththeIndian。Hetoldhimwhenhe,Coyote,waswithinthetepee,toattackit。ThenCoyotewentbacktothefire。Thehagslethiminagain。HewasonlyaCoyote。ButCoyotestoodclosebythecasketoffire。TheIndianmadeadashatthetepee。

  Thehagsrushedoutafterhim,andCoyoteseizedafirebrandinhisteethandflewovertheground。Thehagssawthesparksflyingandgavechase。ButCoyotereachedLion,whoranwithittoGrizzlyBear。GrizzlyBearranwithittoCinnamonBear;heranwithittoWolf,andatlastthefirecametoGround—Squirrel。Squirreltookthebrandandransofastthathistailcaughtfire。Hecurleditupoverhisback,andburnedtheblackspotinhisshoulders。Youcanseeitevento—day。

  SquirrelcametoFrog,butFrogcouldn’trun。Heopenedhismouthwideandswallowedthefire。Thenhejumpedbutthehagscaughthistail。

  Frogjumpedagain,butthehagskepthistail。ThatiswhyFrogshavenotail,eventothisday。Frogswamunderwater,andcameuponapileofdriftwood。Hespatoutthefireintothedrywood,andthatiswhythereisfireindrywoodevento—day。WhenanIndianrubstwopiecestogether,thefirecomesout。

  TheTheftofFireSia(NewMexico)

  Along,longtimeago,thepeoplebecametiredoffeedingongrass,likedeerandwildanimals,andtheytalkedtogetherhowfiremightbefound。

  TheTi—amonisaid,\"Coyoteisthebestmantostealfirefromtheworldbelow,\"sohesentforCoyote。

  WhenCoyotecame,theTi—amonisaid,\"Thepeoplewishforfire。Wearetiredoffeedingongrass。Youmustgototheworldbelowandbringthefire。\"

  Coyotesaid,\"Itiswell,father。Iwillgo。\"

  SoCoyoteslippedstealthilytothehouseofSussistinnako。Itwasthemiddleofthenight。Snake,whoguardedthefirstdoor,wasasleep,andheslippedquicklyandquietlyby。Cougar,whoguardedtheseconddoor,wasasleep,andCoyoteslippedby。Bear,whoguardedthethirddoor,wasalsosleeping。Atthefourthdoor,Coyotefoundtheguardianofthefireasleep。SlippingthroughintotheroomofSussistinnako,hefoundhimalsosleeping。

  Coyotequicklylightedthecedarbrandwhichwasattachedtohistailandhurriedout。Spiderawoke,justenoughtoknowsomeonewasleavingtheroom。\"Whoisthere?\"hecried。Thenhecalled,\"Someonehasbeenhere。\"ButbeforehecouldwakenthesleepingBearandCougarandSnake,Coyotehadalmostreachedtheupperworld。

  TheEarth—HardeningAftertheFloodSia(NewMexico)

  Aftertheflood,theSiareturnedtoHa—arts,theearth。Theycamethroughanopeninginthefarnorth。Aftertheyhadremainedattheirfirstvillageayear,theywishedtopasson,buttheearthwasverymoistandUtsetwaspuzzledhowtohardenit。

  UtsetcalledCougar。Shesaid,\"Haveyouanymedicinetohardentheroadsothatwemaypassoverit?\"Cougarreplied,\"Iwilltry,mother。\"Butaftergoingashortdistanceovertheroad,hesanktohisshouldersinthewetearth。HereturnedmuchafraidandtoldUtsetthathecouldgonofarther。

  ThenshesentforBear。Shesaid,\"Haveyouanymedicinetohardentheroad?\"Bearstartedout,buthesanktohisshoulders,andreturnedsaying,\"Icandonothing。\"

  ThenUtsetcalledBadger,andhetried。ShecalledShrew,andhefailed。

  ShecalledWolf,andhefailed。

  ThenUtsetreturnedtothelowerworldandaskedSussistinnakowhatshecoulddotohardentheearthsothatherpeoplemighttraveloverit。Heasked,\"Haveyounomedicinetomaketheearthfirm?HaveyouaskedCougarandWolf,BearandBadgerandWolftousetheirmedicinestohardentheearth?\"

  Utsetsaid,\"Ihavetriedallthese。\"

  ThenSussistinnakosaid,\"Otherswillunderstand。\"HetoldhertohaveawomanoftheKapina(spider)clantrytohardentheearth。

  Whenthewomanarrived,Utsetsaid,\"Mymother,SussistinnakotellsmetheKapinasocietyunderstandhowtohardentheearth。\"

  Thewomansaid,\"Idonotknowhowtomaketheearthhard。\"

  ThreetimesUtsetaskedthewomanabouthardeningtheearth,andthreetimesthewomansaid,\"Idonotknow。\"Thefourthtimethewomansaid,\"Well,IguessIknow。Iwilltry。\"

  SoshecalledtogetherthemembersoftheSpidersociety,theKapina,andsaid,\"Ourmother,Sussistinnako,bidsusworkforherandhardentheearthsothatthepeoplemaypassoverit。\"Thespiderwomanfirstmadearoadoffinecottonwhichsheproducedfromherownbody,andsuspendeditafewfeetabovetheearth。Thenshetoldthepeopletheycouldtravelonthat。Butthepeoplewereafraidtotrustthemselvestosuchafrailroad。

  ThenUtsetsaid,\"IwishamanandnotawomanoftheSpidersocietytoworkforme。\"

  Thenhecame。Hethrewoutacharmofwood,latticedsoitcouldbeexpandedorcontracted。Whenitwasextendeditreachedtothemiddleoftheearth。Hethrewittothesouth,totheeast,andtothewest;thenhethrewittowardthepeopleinthenorth。

  Sotheearthwasmadefirmthatthepeoplemighttraveluponit。

  SoonafterUtsetsaid,\"Iwillsoonleaveyou。Iwill,returntothehomefromwhichIcame。\"

  ThensheselectedamanoftheCornclan。Shesaidtohim,\"YouwillbeknownasTi—amoni(arch—ruler)。Youwillbetomypeopleasmyself。Youwillpasswiththemoverthestraightroad。Igivetoyouallmywisdom,mythoughts,myheart,andall。Ifillyourmindwithmymind。\"

  Hereplied:\"Itiswell,mother。Iwilldoasyousay。\"

  TheOriginsoftheTotemsandofNamesZuni(NewMexico)

  NowtheTwainBelovedandthepriest—fathersgatheredincouncilforthenamingandselectionofman—groupsandcreature—kinds,andthings。SotheycalledthepeopleofthesouthernspacetheChildrenofSummer,andthosewholovedthesunmostbecametheSunpeople。OtherswholovedthewaterbecametheToadpeople,orTurtlepeople,orFrogpeople。OtherslovedtheseedsoftheearthandbecametheSeedpeople,orthepeopleoftheFirst—growinggrass,oroftheTobacco。ThosewholovedwarmthweretheFireorBadgerpeople。Accordingtotheirnaturestheychosetheirtotems。

  AndsoalsodidthePeopleofWinter,orthePeopleoftheNorth。SomewereknownastheBearpeople,ortheCoyotepeople,orDeerpeople;

  othersastheCranepeople,Turkeypeople,orGrousepeople。SotheBadgerpeopledweltinawarmplace,evenasthebadgersonthesunnysideofhillsburrow,findingadwellingamongstthedryrootswhenceisfire。

  TraditionsofWanderingsHopi(Arizona)

  AftertheHopihadbeentaughttobuildstonehouses,theytookseparateways。MypeopleweretheSnakepeople。Theylivedinsnakeskins,eachfamilyoccupyingaseparatesnakeskinbag。AllwerehungontheendofarainbowwhichswungarounduntiltheendtouchedNavajoMountain。Thenthebagsdroppedfromit。Whereverabagdropped,therewastheirhouse。Aftertheyarrangedtheirbagstheycameoutfromthemasmenandwomen,andtheythenbuiltastonehousewhichhadfivesides。Thenabrilliantstararoseinthesoutheast。Itwouldshineforawhileanddisappear。

  Theoldmensaid,\"’Beneaththatstartheremustbepeople。\"Theydecidedtotraveltoit。Theycutastaffandsetitinthegroundandwatcheduntilthestarreacheditstop。Thentheystartedandtravelledaslongasthestarshone。Whenitdisappearedtheyhalted。Butthestardidnotshineeverynight。Sometimesmanyyearspassedbeforeitappearedagain。Whenthisoccurred,thepeoplebuilthousesduringtheirhalt。Theybuiltroundhousesandsquarehouses,andalltheruinsbetweenhereandNavajoMountainmarktheplaceswhereourpeoplelived。

  Theywaiteduntilthestarcametothetopofthestaffagain,butwhentheymovedon,manypeopleremainedinthosehouses。

  WhenourpeoplereachedWaipho(aspringafewmilesfromWalpi)thestarvanished。Ithasneverbeenseensince。Theybuiltahousethere,butMasauwu,theGodoftheFaceoftheEarth,cameandcompelledthepeopletomoveabouthalfwaybetweentheEastMesaandtheMiddleMesaandtheretheystayedmanyplantings。Onetimewhentheoldmenwereassembled,thegodcameamongthem,lookinglikeahorribleskeletonandrattlinghisbones。Buthecouldnotfrightenthem。Sohesaid,\"Ihavelostmywager。AllthatIhaveisyours。AskforanythingyouwantandI

  willgiveittoyou。\"

  Atthattime,ourpeople’shousewasbesidethewatercourse。Thegodsaid,\"Whydoyousitthereinthemud?Goupyonderwhereitisdry。\"

  Sotheywentacrosstothewestsideofthemesanearthepointandbuiltahouseandlivedthere。

  Againwhentheoldmenassembledtwodemonscameamongthem,buttheoldmentookthegreatBahoandchasedthemaway。

  OtherHopi(Hopituh)cameintothiscountryfromtimetotimeandoldpeoplesaid,\"Buildhere,\"or\"Buildthere,\"andportionedthelandamongthenewcomers。

  TheMigrationoftheWaterPeopleWalpi(Arizona)

  Inthelongago,theSnake,Horn,andEaglepeoplelivedhere(inTusayan)buttheircorngrewonlyaspanhighandwhentheysangforrain,theCloudgodsentonlyathinmist。MypeoplelivedtheninthedistantPa—latKwa—biintheSouth。Therewasaverybadoldmanthere。

  Whenhemetanyonehewouldspitintheirfaces……Hedidallmannerofevil。Baholihongagotangryatthisandturnedtheworldupsidedown。Waterspoutedupthroughthekivasandthroughthefireplacesinthehouses。Theearthwasrentingreatchasms,andwatercoveredeverythingexceptonenarrowridgeofmud。AcrossthistheSerpent—godtoldallthepeopletotravel。Astheyjourneyedacross,thefeetofthebadslippedandtheyfellintothedarkwater。Thegoodpeople,aftermanydays,reacheddryland。

  Whilethewaterwasrisingaroundthevillage,theoldpeoplegotontopofthehouses。Theythoughttheycouldnotstruggleacrosswiththeyoungerpeople。ButBaholihongaclothedthemwiththeskinsofturkeys。

  Theyspreadtheirwingsoutandfloatedintheairjustabovethesurfaceofthewater,andinthiswaytheygotacross。Thereweresavedofus,theWaterpeople,theCornpeople,theLizard,Horned—toad,andSandpeoples,twofamiliesofRabbit,andtheTobaccopeople。Theturkeytaildraggedinthewater。Thatiswhythereiswhiteontheturkey’stailnow。Thisisalsothereasonwhyoldpeopleuseturkey—feathersatthereligiousceremonies。

  CoyoteandtheMesquiteBeansPima(Arizona)

  Afterthewatersofthefloodhadgonedown,ElderBrothersaidtoCoyote,\"Donottouchthatblackbug;anddonoteatthemesquitebeans。

  Itisdangeroustoharmanythingthatcamesafethroughtheflood。\"

  SoCoyotewenton,butpresentlyhecametotheblackbug。Hestoppedandateitup。Thenhewentontothemesquitebeans。Hestoppedandlookedatthemawhile,andthensaid,\"Iwilljusttasteoneandthatwillbeall。\"Buthestoodthereandateandateuntilhehadeatenthemallup。Andthebugandthebeansswelledupinhisstomachandkilledhim。

  OriginoftheSierraNevadasandCoastRangeYokuts(nearFresno,Cal。)

  Oncetherewasatimewhentherewasnothingintheworldbutwater。

  AbouttheplacewhereTulareLakeisnow,therewasapolestandingfarupoutofthewater,andonthispoleperchedHawkandCrow。FirstHawkwouldsitonthepoleawhile,thenCrowwouldknockhimoffandsitonithimself。Thustheysatonthetopofthepoleabovethewaterformanyages。Atlasttheycreatedthebirdswhichpreyonfish。TheycreatedKingfisher,Eagle,Pelican,andothers。TheycreatedalsoDuck。

  Duckwasverysmallbutshedivedtothebottomofthewater,tookabeakfulofmud,andthendiedincomingtothetopofthewater。Ducklaydeadfloatingonthewater。ThenHawkandCrowtookthemudfromDuck’sbeak,andbeganmakingthemountains。

  TheybeganattheplacenowknownasTa—hi—cha—paPass,andHawkmadetheeastrange。Crowmadethewestone。Theypushedthemuddownhardintothewaterandthenpiledithigh。Theyworkedtowardthenorth。AtlastHawkandCrowmetatMountShasta。Thentheirworkwasdone。Butwhentheylookedattheirmountains,Crow’srangewasmuchlargerthanHawk’s。

  HawksaidtoCrow,\"Howdidthishappen,yourascal?Youhavebeenstealingearthfrommybill。Thatiswhyyourmountainsarethebiggest。\"Crowlaughed。

  ThenHawkchewedsomeIndiantobacco。Thatmadehimwise。Atoncehetookholdofthemountainsandturnedthemaroundalmostinacircle。HeputhisrangewhereCrow’shadbeen。ThatiswhytheSierraNevadaRangeislargerthantheCoastRange。

  YosemiteValley(Explanatory)(3)

  Mr。StephenPowersclaimsthatthereisnosuchwordintheMiwoklanguageasYosemite。Thevalleyhasalwaysbeenknowntothem,andistothisday,whenspeakingamongthemselves,asA—wa’—ni。This,itistrue,isonlythenameofoneoftheancientvillageswhichitcontained;butbyprominenceitgaveitsnametothevalley,andinaccordancewithIndianusagealmosteverywhere,totheinhabitantsofthesame。ThewordYosemiteissimplyaverybeautifulandsonorouscorruptionofthewordforgrizzlybear。OntheStanislausandnorthofit,thewordisu—zu’—mai—ti;atLittleGap,o—so’—mai—ti;inYosemiteitself,u—zu’—mai—ti;ontheSouthForkoftheMerced,uh—zu’—mai—tuh……

  \"Inthefollowinglist,thesignificationofthenameisgivenwheneverthereisanyknowntotheIndians:

  \"Wa—kal’—la(theriver),MercedRiver。

  \"Lung—u—tu—ku’—ya,RibbonFall。

  \"Po’—ho—no,Po—ho’—no(thoughthefirstisprobablythemorecorrect),Bridal—VeilFall……Thiswordissaidtosignify’evilwind。’Theonly’evilwind’thatanIndianknowsofisawhirlwind,whichispoi—i’—chaorKan’—u—ma。

  \"Tu—tok—a—nu’—la,ElCapitan。’Measuring—wormstone。’[Legendisgivenelsewhere。]

  \"Ko—su’—ko,CathedralRock。

  \"Pu—si’—na,andChuk’—ka(thesquirrelandtheacorn—cache),atall,sharpneedle,withasmalleroneatitsbase,justeastofCathedralRock……Thesavages……imaginedhereasquirrelnibblingatthebaseofanacorngranary。

  \"Loi’—a,SentinelRock。

  \"Sak’—ka—du—eh,SentinelDome。

  \"Cho’—lok(thefall),YosemiteFall。Thisisthegenericwordfor’fall。’

  \"Ma’—ta(thecanon),Indiancanon。Agenericword,inexplainingwhichtheIndiansholdupbothhandstodenoteperpendicularwalls。

  \"Ham’—mo—ko(usuallycontractedtoHam’—moak),……brokendebrislyingatthefootofthewalls。

  \"U—zu’—mai—tiLa’—wa—tuh(grizzlybearskin),GlacierRock……fromthegrayish,grizzledappearanceofthewall。

  \"Cho—ko—nip’—o—deh(baby—basket),RoyalArches。This……canopy—rockbearsnolittleresemblancetoanIndianbaby—basket。Anotherformischo—ko’—ni,……literally……’dog—house。’

  \"Pai—wai’—ak(whitewater?),VernalFall。

  \"Yo—wai—yi,NevadaFall。InthiswordisdetectedtherootofAwaia,’alake’orbodyofwater。

  \"Tis—se’—yak,SouthDome。[Seelegendelsewhere。]

  \"To—ko’—ye,NorthDome,husbandofTisseyak。[Seelegendelsewhere。]

  \"Shun’—ta,Hun’—ta(theeye),WatchingEye。

  \"A—wai’—a(alake),MirrorLake。

  \"Sa—wah’(agap),anameoccurringfrequently。

  \"Wa—ha’—ka,avillagewhichstoodatthebaseofThreeBrothers;alsotherockitself。Thiswasthewesternmostvillageinthevalley。

  \"TherewereninevillagesinYosemiteValleyand……formerlyothersextendingasfardownastheBridalVeilFall,whichweredestroyedinwarsthatoccurredbeforethewhitescame。\"

  (3)TheexplanationgivenaboveisthatmadebyMr。StephenPowers,inVol。3,U。S。GeographicalandGeologicalSurveyoftheRockyMountainregion,Part2,ContributionstoNorthAmericanEthnology,1877。

  LegendofTu—Tok—A—Nu’—La(ElCapitan)

  YosemiteValleyHerewereoncetwolittleboyslivinginthevalleywhowentdowntotherivertoswim。Afterpaddlingandsplashingabouttotheirhearts’

  content,theywentonshoreandcreptuponahugeboulderwhichstoodbesidethewater。Theylaydowninthewarmsunshinetodrythemselves,butfellasleep。Theysleptsosoundlythattheyknewnothing,thoughthegreatbouldergrewdaybyday,androsenightbynight,untilitliftedthemupbeyondthesightoftheirtribe,wholookedforthemeverywhere。

  Therockgrewuntiltheboyswereliftedhighintotheheaven,evenfarupabovethebluesky,untiltheyscrapedtheirfacesagainstthemoon。

  Andstill,yearafteryear,amongthecloudstheyslept。

  Thentherewasheldagreatcouncilofalltheanimalstobringtheboysdownfromthetopofthegreatrock。Everyanimalleapedashighashecouldupthefaceoftherockywall。Mousecouldonlyjumpashighasone’shand;Rat,twiceashigh。ThenRaccoontried;hecouldjumpalittlefarther。Oneafteranotheroftheanimalstried,andGrizzlyBearmadeagreatleapfarupthewall,butfellback。LastofallLiontried,andhejumpedfartherthananyotheranimal,butfelldownuponhisback。ThencametinyMeasuring—Worm,andbegantocreepuptherock。

  SoonhereachedashighasRaccoonhadjumped,thenashighasBear,thenashighasLion’sleap,andbyandbyhewasoutofsight,climbingupthefaceoftherock。Foronewholesnow,Measuring—Wormclimbedtherock,andatlasthereachedthetop。Thenhewakenedtheboys,andcamedownthesamewayhewentup,andbroughtthemdownsafelytotheground。ThereforetherockiscalledTutokanula,themeasuringworm。ButwhitemencallitElCapitan。

  LegendofTis—Se’—Yak(SouthDomeandNorthDome)

  YosemiteValleyTisseyakandherhusbandjourneyedfromacountryveryfaroff,andenteredthevalleyoftheYosemitefoot—sorefromtravel。Sheboreagreatheavyconicalbasket,strappedacrossherhead。Tisseyakcamefirst。Herhusbandfollowedwitharudestaffandalightrollofskinsonhisback。Theywerethirstyaftertheirlongjourneyacrossthemountains。Theyhurriedforwardtodrinkofthewaters,andthewomanwasstillinadvancewhenshereachedLakeAwaia。Thenshedippedupthewaterinherbasketanddrankofit。Shedrankupallthewater。Thelakewasdrybeforeherhusbandreachedit。Andbecausethewomandrankallthewater,therecameadrought。Theearthdriedtip。Therewasnograss,noranygreenthing。

  Butthemanwasangrybecausehehadnowatertodrink。Hebeatthewomanwithhisstaffandshefled,buthefollowedandbeatherevenmore。Thenthewomanwept。Inherangersheturnedandflungherbasketattheman。Andeventhentheywerechangedintostone。Thewoman’sbasketliesupturnedbesidetheman。Thewoman’sfaceistear—stained,withlongdarklinestrailingdown。

  SouthDomeisthewomanandNorthDomeisthehusband。TheIndianwomancutsherhairstraightacrosstheforehead,andallowsthesidestodropalonghercheeks,formingasquareface。

  HistoricTraditionoftheUpperTuolumneYosemiteValley(AsgivenbyMr。StephenPowers,1877。)(4)

  Thereisalake—likeexpansionoftheUpperTuolumnesomefourmileslongandfromahalfmiletoamilewide,directlynorthofHatchatchieValley(erroneouslyspelledHetchHetchy)。ItappearstohavenonameamongAmericans,buttheIndianscallit0—wai—a—nuh,whichismanifestlyadialecticvariationofa—wai’—a,thegenericwordfor\"lake。\"Nat。Screech,aveteranmountaineerandhunter,statesthathevisitedthisregionin1850,andatthattimetherewasavalleyalongtheriverhavingthesamedimensionsthatthislakenowhas。Again,in1855,hehappenedtopassthatwayanddiscoveredthatthelakehadbeenformedasitnowexists。Hewasatalosstoaccountforitsorigin;butsubsequentlyheacquiredtheMiwoklanguageasspokenatLittleGap,andwhilelisteningtotheIndiansonedayheoverheardthemcasuallyrefertotheformationofthislakeinanextraordinarymanner。Onbeingquestionedtheystatedthattherehadbeenatremendouscataclysminthatvalley,thebottomofithavingfallenoutapparently,wherebytheentirevalleywassubmergedinthewatersoftheriver。Asnearlyashecouldascertainfromtheirimperfectmethodsofreckoningtime,thisoccurredin1851;andinthatyear,whileinthetownofSonora,Screechandmanyothersrememberedtohaveheardahugeexplosioninthatdirectionwhichtheythensupposedwascausedbyalocalearthquake。

  OnDrew’sRanch,MiddleForkoftheTuolumne,livesanagedsquawcalledDish—i,whowasinthevalleywhenthisremarkableeventoccurred。

  Accordingtoheraccounttheearthdroppedinbeneaththeirfeet,andwatersoftheriverleapedupandcamerushingupontheminavast,roaringflood,almostperpendicularlikeawallofrock。AtfirsttheIndianswerestrickendumb,andmotionlesswithterror,butwhentheysawthewaterscoming,theyescapedforlife,thoughthirtyorfortywereovertakenanddrowned。AnothersquawnamedIsabelsaysthatthestubsoftrees,whicharestillplainlyvisibledeepdowninthepellucidwaters,areconsideredbytheoldsuperstitiousIndianstobeevilspirits,thedemonsoftheplace,reachinguptheirarms,andthattheyfearthemgreatly。

  (4)(Vol。3,Part2,U。S。GeographicalandGeologicalSurveyoftheRockyMountainregion:ContributionstoNorthAmericanEthnology,1877。)

  CaliforniaBigTreesPaiUtes(nearKernRiver,Cal。)

  TheCaliforniabigtreesaresacredtotheMonos,whocallthem\"woh—woh—nau,\"awordformedinimitationofthehootoftheowl。Theowlistheguardianspiritandthegodofthebigtrees。Badluckcomestothosewhocutdownthebigtrees,orshootatanowl,orshootinthepresenceoftheowl。

  InolddaystheIndianstriedtopersuadethewhitemennottocutdownthebigtrees。Whentheyseethetreescutdowntheycallafterthewhitemen。Theysaytheowlwillbringthemevil。

  TheChildrenofCloudPima(Arizona)

  WhentheHohokamdweltontheGilaRiverandtilledtheirfarmsaroundthegreattemplewhichwecallCasaGrande,therewasabeautifulyoungwomaninthepueblowhohadtwotwinsons。TheirfatherwasCloud,andhelivedfaraway。

  Onedaytheboyscametotheirmother,asshewasweavingmats。\"Whois。

  ourfather?\"theyasked。\"Wehavenoonetoruntowhenhereturnsfromthehunt,orfromwar,toshouttohim。\"

  Themotheranswered:\"Inthemorning,looktowardthesunriseandyouwillseeawhiteCloudstandingupright。Heisyourfather。\"

  \"Canwevisitourfather?\"theyasked。

  \"Yes,\"saidtheirmother。Youmayvisithim,butyoumustmakethejourneywithoutstopping。FirstyouwillreachWind,whoisyourfather’seldestbrother。Behindhimyouwillfindyourfather。\"

  TheboystravelledfourdaysandcametothehouseofWind。

  \"Areyouourfather?\"theyasked。

  \"No,IamyourUncle,\"answeredWind。\"Yourfatherlivesinthenexthouse。Goontohim。\"

  TheytravelledontoCloud。ButClouddrovethemaway。Hesaid,\"GotoyouruncleWind。Hewilltellyousomething。\"ButWindsentthembacktoCloudagain。Thustheboysweredrivenawayfromeachhousefourtimes。

  ThenCloudsaidtothem,\"Provetomeyouaremysons。Ifyouare,youcandowhatIdo。\"

  Theyoungerboysentchainlightningacrosstheskywithsharp,cracklingthunder。Theelderboysenttheheatlightningwithitsdistantrumbleofthunder。

  \"Youaremychildren,\"saidCloud。\"Youhavepowerlikemine。\"

  Butagainhetestedthem。Hetookthemtoahousenearbywhereafloodofrainhaddrownedthepeople。\"IfItheyaremysons,\"hesaid,\"theywillnotbeharmed。\"

  ThenCloudsenttherainandthestorm。Thewaterrosehigherandhigher,butthetwoboyswerenotharmed。Thewatercouldnotdrownthem。ThenCloudtookthemtohishomeandtheretheystayedalong,longtime。

  Butafteralongtime,theboyswishedtoseetheirmotheragain。ThenCloudmadethemsomebowsandarrowsdifferingfromanytheyhadeverseen,andsentthemtotheirmother。Hetoldthemhewouldwatchoverthemastheytravelledbuttheymustspeaktonoonetheymetontheirway。

  Sotheboystravelledtothesettingsun。FirsttheymetRaven。Theyrememberedtheirfather’scommandandturnedasidesoasnottomeethim。ThentheymetRoadrunner,andturnedasidetoavoidhim。NextcameHawkandEagle。

  Eaglesaid,\"Let’sscarethoseboys。\"Soheswoopeddownovertheirheadsuntiltheycriedfromfright。

  \"Wewerejustteasingyou,\"saidEagle。\"Wewillnotdoyouanyharm。\"

  ThenEagleflewon。

  NexttheymetCoyote。Theytriedtoavoidhim,butCoyoteranaroundandputhimselfintheirway。Cloudwaswatchingandhesentdownthunderandlightning。Andtheboyssentouttheirmagicthunderandlightningalso,untilCoyotewasfrightenedandranaway。

  Nowthishappenedonthemountaintop,andoneboywasstandingoneachsideofthetrail。AfterCoyoteranaway,theywerechangedintomescal—theverylargestmescaleverknown。TheplacewasnearTucson。Thisisthereasonwhymescalgrowsonthemountains,andwhythunderandlightninggofromplacetoplace—becausethechildrendid。Thatiswhyitrainswhenwegathermescal。

  TheCloudPeopleSia(NewMexico)

  NowalltheCloudPeople,theLightningPeople,theThunderandRainbowPeoplesfollowedtheSiaintotheupperworld。ButallthepeopleofTinia,themiddleworld,didnotleavethelowerworld。OnlyaportionweresentbytheSpidertoworkforthepeopleoftheupperworld。TheCloudPeoplearesomanythat,althoughthedemandsoftheearthpeoplearesogreat,therearealwaysmanypassingaboutoverTiniaforpleasure。TheseCloudPeoplerideonwheels,smallwheelsbeingusedbythelittleCloudchildrenandlargewheelsbytheolderones。(5)

  TheCloudPeoplekeepalwaysbehindtheirmasks。Theshapeofthemaskdependsuponthenumberofthepeopleandtheworkbeingdone。TheHenatiarethefloatingwhitecloudsbehindwhichtheCloudPeoplepassforpleasure。TheHeasharecloudsliketheplainsandbehindthesetheCloudPeoplearelaboringtowatertheearth。WaterisbroughtbytheCloudPeople,fromthespringsatthebaseofthemountains,ingourdsandjugsandvasesbythemen,women,andchildren。Theyrisefromthespringsandpassthroughthetrunkofthetreetoitstop,whichreachesTinia。Theypassontothepointtobesprinkled。

  ThepriestoftheCloudPeopleisaboveeventhepriestsoftheThunder,Lightning,andRainbowPeoples。TheCloudPeoplehaveceremonials,justlikethoseoftheSia。OnthealtarsoftheSiamaybeseenfiguresarrangedjustastheCloudPeoplesitintheirceremonials。

  WhenapriestoftheCloudPeoplewishesassistancefromtheThunderandLightningPeoples,henotifiestheirpriests,butkeepsasupervisionofallthingshimself。

  ThentheLightningPeopleshoottheirarrowstomakeitraintheharder。

  Thesmallerflashescomefromthebowsofthechildren。TheThunderPeoplehavehumanforms,withwingsofknives,andbyflappingthesewingstheymakeagreatnoise。ThustheyfrightentheCloudandLightningPeopleintoworkingtheharder。

  TheRainbowPeoplewerecreatedtoworkinTiniatomakeitmorebeautifulforthepeopleofHa—arts,theearth,tolookupon。Theeldersmakethebeautifulrainbows,butthechildrenassist。TheSiahavenoideaofwhatorhowthesebowsaremade。Theydoknow,however,thatwarheroesalwaystravelupontherainbows。

  (5)TheIndianssaytheAmericansalsoridewheels,thereforetheymusthaveknownabouttheCloudPeople。

  RainSongSia(NewMexico)

  We,theancientones,ascendedfromthemiddleoftheworldbelow,throughthedooroftheentrancetothelowerworld,weholdoursongstotheCloud,Lightning,andThunderPeoplesasweholdourownhearts。

  Ourmedicineisprecious。

  (AddressingthepeopleofTinia:)

  Weentreatyoutosendyourthoughtstoussothatwemaysingyoursongsstraight,sothattheywillpassoverthestraightroadtotheCloudprieststhattheymaycovertheearthwithwater,sothatshemaybearallthatisgoodforus。

  LightningPeople,sendyourarrowstothemiddleoftheearth。Heartheecho!Whoisit?ThePeopleoftheSpruceoftheNorth。Allyourpeopleandyourthoughtscometous。Whoisit?PeopleofthewhitefloatingClouds。Yourthoughtscometous。Allyourpeopleandyourthoughtscometous。Whoisit?TheLightningPeople。Yourthoughtscometous。Whoisit?CloudPeopleatthehorizon。Allyourpeopleandyourthoughtscometous。

  RainSongWhitefloatingclouds。Clouds,liketheplains,comeandwatertheearth。Sun,embracetheearththatshemaybefruitful。Moon,lionofthenorth,bearofthewest,badgerofthesouth,wolfoftheeast,eagleoftheheavens,shrewoftheearth,elderwarhero,youngerwarhero,warriorsofthesixmountainsoftheworld,intercedewiththeCloudPeopleforusthattheymaywatertheearth。Medicinebowl,cloudbowl,andwatervasegiveusyourhearts,thattheearthmaybewatered。

  Imaketheancientroadofmealthatmysongmaypassstraightoverit—

  theancientroad。Whiteshellbeadwomanwholiveswherethesungoesdown,motherwhirlwind,fatherSussistinnako,motherYaya,creatorofgoodthoughts,yellowwomanofthenorth,bluewomanofthewest,redwomanofthesouth,whitewomanoftheeast,slightlyyellowwomanofthezenith,anddarkwomanofthenadir,IaskyourintercessionwiththeCloudPeople。

  RainSongSia(NewMexico)

  Letthewhitefloatingclouds—thecloudsliketheplains—thelightning,thunder,rainbow,andcloudpeoples,watertheearth。Letthepeopleofthewhitefloatingclouds,—thepeopleofthecloudsliketheplains—thelightning,thunder,rainbow,andcloudpeoples—comeandworkforus,andwatertheearth。

  TheCornMaidensZuni(NewMexico)

  Afterlongagesofwandering,thepreciousSeed—thingsrestedovertheMiddleatZuni,andmenturnedtheirheartstothecherishingoftheircornandtheCornMaidensinsteadofwarringwithstrangemen。

  Buttherewascomplaintbythepeopleofthecustomsfollowed。Somesaidthemusicwasnotthatoftheoldentime。Farbetterwasthatwhichofnightstheyoftenheardastheywanderedupanddowntherivertrail。

  (6)Wonderfulmusic,asofliquidvoicesincaverns,ortheechoofwomen’slaughterinwater—vases。Andthemusicwastimedwithadeep—toneddrumfromtheMountainofThunder。Othersthoughtthemusicwasthatoftheghostsofancientmen,butitwasfarmorebeautifulthanthemusicwhendancedtheCornMaidens。OtherssaidlightcloudsrolledupwardfromthegrottoinThunderMountainliketothemiststhatleavebehindthemthedew,butlo!evenastheyfadedthebrightgarmentsoftheRainbowwomenmightbeseenfluttering,andthebroideryandpaintingsofthesedancersofthemistweremorebeautifulthanthecostumesoftheCornMaidens。

  Thenthepriestsofthepeoplesaid,\"ItmaywellbePaiyatuma,theliquidvoiceshisfluteandtheflutesofhisplayers。\"

  Nowwhenthetimeofripeningcornwasnear,thefathersorderedpreparationforthedanceoftheCornMaidens。TheysentthetwoMaster—PriestsoftheBowtothegrottoatThunderMountains,saying。,\"IfyoubeholdPaiyatuma,andhismaidens,perhapstheywillgiveusthehelpoftheircustoms。\"

  Thenuptherivertrail,thepriestsheardthesoundofadrumandstrainsofsong。ItwasPaiyatumaandhissevenmaidens,theMaidensoftheHouseofStars,sistersoftheCornMaidens。

  TheGodofDawnandMusicliftedhisfluteandtookhisplaceinthelineofdancers。Thedrumsoundeduntilthecavernshookaswiththunder。Theflutessangandsighedasthewindinawoodedcanonwhilestillthestormisdistant。WhitemistsfloatedupfromthewandsoftheMaidens,abovewhichflutteredthebutterfliesofSummer—landaboutthedressoftheRainbowsinthestrangebluelightofthenight。

  ThenPaiyatuma,smiling,said,\"Gothewaybefore,tellingthefathersofourcustom,andstraightwaywewillfollow。\"

  Soonthesoundofmusicwasheard,comingfromuptheriver,andsoontheFlutePeopleandsingersandmaidensoftheFlutedance。Uprosethefathersandallthewatchingpeople,greetingtheGodofDawnwithoutstretchedhandandofferingofprayermeal。Thenthesingerstooktheirplacesandsoundedtheirdrum,flutes,andsongofclearwaters,whiletheMaidensoftheDewdancedtheirFlutedance。Greatlymarvelledthepeople,whenfromthewandstheyboreforthcamewhiteclouds,andfinecoolmistsdescended。

  NowwhenthedancewasendedandtheDewMaidenshadretired,outcamethebeautifulMothersofCorn。Andwhentheplayersoftheflutessawthem,theywereenamouredoftheirbeautyandgazeduponthemsointentlythattheMaidensletfalltheirhairandcastdowntheireyes。

  Andjealousandboldergrewthemortalyouths,andinthemorningdawn,inrivalry,thedancerssoughtalltoofreelythepresenceoftheCornMaidens,nolongerholdingthemsopreciousasintheoldentime。Andthematrons,intentonthenewdance,heedednaughtelse。Butbehold!

  Themistsincreasedgreatly,surroundingdancersandwatchersalike,untilwithinthem,theMaidensofCorn,allinwhitegarments,becameinvisible。Thensadlyandnoiselesslytheystoleinamongstthepeopleandlaidtheircornwandsdownamongstthetrays,andlaidtheirwhitebroideredgarmentsthereupon,asmotherslaysoftkiltingovertheirbabes。Thenevenasthemistsbecamethey,andwiththemistsdrifting,fledaway,tothefarsouthSummer—land。

  (6)Themistsandthedawnbreezeontheriverandinthegrotto。

  TheSearchfortheCornMaidensZuni(NewMexico)

  ThenthepeopleintheirtroublecalledthetwoMaster—Priestsandsaid:

  \"Who,now,thinkye,shouldjourneytoseekourpreciousMaidens?

  Bethinkye!WhoamongsttheBeingsisevenasyeare,strongofwillandgoodofeyes?Thereisourgreatelderbrotherandfather,Eagle,heofthefloatingdownandoftheterracedtail—fan。Surelyheisenduringofwillandsurpassingofsight。\"

  \"Yea。Mostsurely,\"saidthefathers。\"Goyeforthandbeseechhim。\"

  ThenthetwospednorthtoTwinMountain,whereinagrottohighupamongthecrags,withhismateandhisyoung,dwelttheEagleoftheWhiteBonnet。

  Theyclimbedthemountain,butbehold!Onlytheeagletswerethere。Theyscreamedlustilyandtriedtohidethemselvesinthedarkrecesses。

  \"Pullnotourfeathers,yeofhurtfultouch,butwait。Whenweareolderwewilldropthemforyouevenfromtheclouds。\"

  \"Hush,\"saidthewarriors。\"Waitinpeace。Weseeknotyebutthyfather。\"

  Thenfromafar,withafrown,cameoldEagle。\"Whydisturbyemyfeatherlings?\"hecried。

  \"Behold!Fatherandelderbrother,wecomeseekingonlythelightofthyfavor。Listen!\"

  ThentheytoldhimofthelostMaidensoftheCorn,andbeggedhimtosearchforthem。

  \"Beitwellwiththywishes,\"saidEagle。\"Goyebeforecontentedly。\"

  Sothewarriorsreturnedtothecouncil。ButEaglewingedhiswayhighintothesky。High,high,herose,untilhecircledamongtheclouds,small—seemingandswift,likeseed—downinawhirlwind。Throughalltheheights,tothenorth,tothewest,tothesouth,andtotheeast,hecircledandsailed。YetnowheresawhetraceoftheCornMaidens。Thenheflewlower,returning。Beforethewarriorswererested,peopleheardtheroarofhiswings。Ashealighted,thefatherssaid,\"Enterthouandsit,ohbrother,andsaytouswhatthouhasttosay。\"Andtheyofferedhimthecigaretteofthespacerelations。

  Whentheyhadpuffedthesmoketowardthefourpointsofthecompass,andEaglehadpurifiedhisbreathwithsmoke,andhadblownsmokeoversacredthings,hespoke。

  \"FarhaveIjourneyed,scanningalltheregions。Neitherbluebirdnorwoodratcanhidefrommyseeing,\"hesaid,snappinghisbeak。\"Neitherofthem,unlesstheyhideunderbushes。YetIhavefailedtoseeanythingoftheMaidensyeseekfor。Sendformyyoungerbrother,theFalcon。Strongofflightishe,yetnotsostrongasI,andnearerthegroundhetakeshiswayeresunrise。\"

  ThentheEaglespreadhiswingsandflewawaytoTwinMountain。TheWarrior—PriestsoftheBowspedagainfleetlyovertheplaintothewestwardforhisyoungerbrother,Falcon。

  Sittingonananthill,sothewarriorsfoundFalcon。Hepausedastheyapproached,crying,\"Ifyehavesnarestrings,Iwillbeoffliketheflightofanarrowwellplumedofourfeathers!\"

  \"No,\"saidthepriests。\"Thyelderbrotherhathbiddenusseekthee。\"

  ThentheytoldFalconwhathadhappened,andhowEaglehadfailedtofindtheCornMaidens,sowhiteandbeautiful。

  \"Failed!\"saidFalcon。\"Ofcoursehefailed。Heclimbsalofttothecloudsandthinkshecanseeundereverybushandintoeveryshadow,asseestheSunfatherwhoseesnotwitheyes。Goyebefore。\"

  BeforetheWarrior—Priestshadturnedtowardthetown,theFalconhadspreadhissharpwingsandwasskimmingoffoverthetopsofthetreesandbushesasthoughverilyseekingforfieldmiceorbirds’nests。AndtheWarriorsreturnedtotellthefathersandtoawaithiscoming。

  ButafterFalconhadsearchedovertheworld,tothenorthandwest,totheeastandsouth,hetooreturnedandwasreceivedashadbeenEagle。

  Hesettledontheedgeofatraybeforethealtar,asontheanthillhesettlestoday。Whenhehadsmokedandhadbeensmoked,ashadbeenEagle,hetoldthesorrowingfathersandmothersthathehadlookedbehindeverycopseandcliffshadow,butoftheMaidenshehadfoundnotrace。

  \"Theyarehiddenmorecloselythaneversparrowhid,\"hesaid。Thenhe,too,flewawaytohishillsinthewest。

  \"OurbeautifulMaidenMothers,\"criedthematrons。\"Lost,lostasthedeadarethey!\"

  \"Yes,\"saidtheothers。\"Wherenowshallweseekthem?Thefar—seeingEagleandtheclose—searchingFalconalikehavefailedtofindthem。\"

  \"Staynowyourfeetwithpatience,\"saidthefathers。SomeofthemhadheardRaven,whosoughtfoodintherefuseanddirtattheedgeoftown,atdaybreak。

  \"Looknow,\"theysaid。\"ThereisHeavy—nose,whosebeakneverfailstofindthesubstanceofseeditself,howeverlittleorwellhiddenitbe。

  HesurelymustknowoftheCornMaidens。Letuscallhim。\"

  Sothewarriorswenttotheriverside。WhentheyfoundRaven,theyraisedtheirhands,allweaponless。

  \"Wecarrynoprickingquills,\"theycalled。\"Blackbandedfather,weseekyouraid。Looknow!TheMother—maidensofSeedwhosesubstanceisthefoodalikeofthypeopleandourpeople,havefledaway。NeitherourgrandfathertheEagle,norhisyoungerbrothertheFalcon,cantracethem。Webegyoutoaidusorcounselus。\"

  \"Ka!ka!\"criedtheRaven。\"ToohungryamItogoabroadfastingonbusinessforye。Yearestingy!HerehaveIbeensinceperchingtime,tryingtofindathroatful,butyepickthybonesandlickthybowlstoocleanforthat,besure。\"

  \"Comein,then,poorgrandfather。Wewillgivetheefoodtocat。Yea,andacigarettetosmoke,withalltheceremony。\"

  \"Sayyeso?\"saidtheRaven。Heruffledhiscollarandopenedhismouthsowidewithalustykaw—la—ka—thathemightwellhaveswallowedhisownhead。\"Goyebefore,\"hesaid,andfollowedthemintothecourtofthedancers。

  Hewasnotilltolookupon。Uponhisshoulderswerebandsofwhitecotton,andhisbackwasblue,gleaminglikethehairofamaidendancerinthesunlight。TheMaster—PriestgreetedRaven,biddinghimsitandsmoke。

  \"Ha!Thereiscorninthis,elsewhythestalkofit?\"saidtheRaven,whenhetookthecanecigaretteofthefarspacesandnoticedthejointofit。ThenhedidashehadseentheMaster—Priestdo,onlymoregreedily。Hesuckedinsuchathroatfulofthesmoke,fireandall,thatitalmoststrangledhim。Hecoughedandgrewgiddy,andthesmokeallhotandstingingwentthrougheverypartofhim。Itfilledallhisfeathers,makingevenhisbrowneyesbluerandblacker,inrings。Itisnottobewonderedat,thebluenessofflesh,blacknessofdress,andskinniness,yes,andtearfulnessofeyewhichweseeintheRavento—day。Andtheyareallasgreedyofcornfoodasever,forbehold!NosoonerhadtheoldRavenrecoveredthanheespiedoneoftheearsofcornhalfhiddenunderthemantle—coversofthetrays。Heleapedfromhisplacelaughing。Theyalwayslaughwhentheyfindanything,theseravens。Thenhecaughtuptheearofcornandmadeoffwithitovertheheadsofthepeopleandthetopsofthehouses,crying。

  \"Ha!ha!InthiswiseandinnootherwillyefindthySeedMaidens。\"

  Butafterawhilehecameback,saying,\"AsharpeyehaveIforthefleshoftheMaidens。Butwhomightseetheirbreathing—beings,yedolts,exceptbythehelpoftheFatherofDawn—Misthimself,whosebreathmakesbreathofothersseemasitself。\"Thenheflewawaycawing。

  Thentheelderssaidtoeachother,\"Itisourfault,sohowdareweprevailonourfatherPaiyatumatoaidus?Hewarnedusofthisintheoldtime。\"

  Suddenly,forthesunwasrising,theyheardPaiyatumainhisdaylightmoodandtransformation。Thoughtlessandloud,uncouthinspeech,hewalkedalongtheoutskirtsofthevillage。Hejokedfearlesslyevenoffearfulthings,forallhiswordsanddeedswerethereverseofhissacredbeing。Hesatdownonaheapofvilerefuse,sayinghewouldhaveafeast。

  \"Mypoorlittlechildren,\"hesaid。Buthespoketoagedpriestsandwhite—hairedmatrons。

  \"Good—nighttoyouall,\"hesaid,thoughitwasinfulldawning。Soheperplexedthemwithhisspeeches。

  \"Webeseechthyfavor,ohfather,andthyaid,infindingourbeautifulMaidens。\"Sothepriestsmourned。

  \"Oh,thatisall,isit?Butwhyfindthatwhichisnotlost,orsummonthosewhowillnotcome?\"

  Thenhereproachedthemfornotpreparingthesacredplumes,andpickeduptheveryplumeshehadsaidwerenotthere。

  ThenthewisePekwinna,theSpeakeroftheSun,tooktwoplumesandthebandedwing—tipsoftheturkey,andapproachingPaiyatumastrokedhimwiththetipsofthefeathersandthenlaidthefeathersuponhislips……

  ThenPaiyatumabecameagedandgrandandstraight,asisatalltreeshornbylightning。Hesaidtothefather:

  \"Thouarewiseofthoughtandgoodofheart。ThereforeIwillsummonfromSummer—landthebeautifulMaidensthatyemaylookuponthemoncemoreandmakeofferingofplumesinsacrificeforthem,buttheyarelostasdwellersamongstye。\"

  Thenhetoldthemofthesonglinesandthesacredspeechesandoftheofferingofthesacredplumewands,andthenturnedhimaboutandspedawaysofleetlythatnonesawhim。

  BeyondthefirstvalleyofthehighplaintothesouthwardPaiyatumaplantedthefourplumewands。Firstheplantedtheyellow,bendingoveritandwatchingit。Whenitceasedtoflutter,thesoftdownonitleanednorthwardbutmovednot。Thenhesetthebluewandandwatchedit;thenthewhitewand。Theeagledownonthemleanedtorightandleftandstillnorthward,yetmovednot。Thenfartheronheplantedtheredwand,andbendinglow,withoutbreathing,watcheditclosely。Thesoftdownplumesbegantowaveasthoughblownbythebreathofsomesmallcreature。Backwardandforward,northwardandsouthwardtheyswayed,asifintimetothebreathofoneresting。

  \"’TisthebreathofmyMaidensinSummer—land,fortheplumesofthesouthlandswaysofttotheirgentlebreathing。Soshalliteverbe。WhenIsetthedownofmymistsontheplainsandscattermybrightbeadsinthenorthland(7),summershallgothitherfromafar,borneonthebreathoftheSeedMaidens。Wheretheybreathe,warmth,showers,andfertilityshallfollowwiththebirdsofSummer—land,andthebutterflies,northwardovertheworld。\"

  ThenPaiyatumaaroseandspedbythemagicofhisknowledgeintothecountriesofSummer—land,—fledswiftlyandsilentlyasthesoftbreathhesoughtfor,bearinghispaintedflutebeforehim。Andwhenhepausedtorest,heplayedonhispaintedfluteandthebutterfliesandbirdssoughthim。SohesentthemtoseektheMaidens,followingswiftly,andlongbeforehefoundthemhegreetedthemwiththemusicofhissongsound,evenasthePeopleoftheSeednowgreettheminthesongofthedancers。

  WhentheMaidensheardhismusicandsawhistallformintheirgreatfieldsofcorn,theypluckedears,eachofherownkind,andwiththemfilledtheircoloredtraysandoverallspreadembroideredmantles,—embroideredinallthebrightcolorsandwiththecreature—songsofSummer—land。Sotheysalliedforthtomeethimandwelcomehim。Thenhegreetedthem,eachwiththetouchofhishandsandthebreathofhisflute,andbadethemfollowhimtothenorthlandhomeoftheirdesertedchildren。

  Sobythemagicoftheirknowledgetheyspedbackasthestarsspeedovertheworldatnighttime,towardthehomeofourancients。Onlyatnightanddawntheyjourneyed,asthedeaddo,andthestarsalso。SotheycameateveninginthefullofthelastmoontothePlaceoftheMiddle,bearingtheirtraysofseed。

  GloriouswasPaiyatuma,ashewalkedintothecourtsofthedancersintheduskoftheeveningandstoodwithfoldedarmsatthefootofthebow—fringedladderofpriestlycouncil,heandhisfollowerShutsukya。

  Hewastallandbeautifulandbandedwithhisownmists,andcarriedthebandedwingsoftheturkeyswithwhichhehadwingedhisflightfromafar,leadingtheMaidens,andfollowedasbyhisownshadowbytheblackbeingofthecorn—soot,Shutsukya,whocrieswiththevoiceofthefrostwindwhenthecornhasgrownagedandtheharvestistakenaway。

  AndsurpassinglybeautifulweretheMaidensclothedinthewhitecottonandembroideredgarmentsofSummer—land。

  Thenafterlongprayingandchantingbythepriests,thefathersofthepeople,andthoseoftheSeedandWater,andthekeepersofsacredthings,theMaiden—motheroftheNorthadvancedtothefootoftheladder。SheliftedfromherheadthebeautifultrayofyellowcornandPaiyatamatookit。Hepointedittotheregions,eachinturn,andthePriestoftheNorthcameandreceivedthetrayofsacredseed。

  ThentheMaidenoftheWestadvancedandgaveuphertrayofbluecorn。

  SoeachinturntheMaidensgaveuptheirtraysofpreciousseed。TheMaidenoftheSouth,theredseed;theMaidenoftheEast,thewhiteseed;thentheMaidenwiththeblackseed,andlastly,thetrayofall—colorseedwhichthePriestessofSeed—and—Allherselfreceived。

  Andnow,behold!TheMaidensstoodasbefore,sheoftheNorthatthenorthernend,butwithherfacesouthwardfarlooking;sheoftheWest,next,andlo!soallofthem,withtheseventhandlast,lookingsouthward。Andstandingthus,thedarknessofthenightfellaroundthem。Asshadowsindeepnight,sotheseMaidensoftheSeedofCorn,thebelovedandbeautiful,wereseennomoreofmen。AndPaiyatumastoodalone,forShutsukyawalkednowbehindtheMaidens,whistlingshrilly,asthefrostwindwhistleswhenthecornisgatheredaway,amongthelonecanesanddryleavesofagleanedfield。

  (7)Dewdrops。

  HasjeltiandHostjoghonNavajo(NewMexico)

  Hasjeltiwasthesonofthewhitecorn,andHostjoghonthesonoftheyellowcorn。Theywerebornonthemountainswherethefogsmeet。Thesetwobecamethegreatsong—makersoftheworld。

  Tothemountainwheretheywereborn(HenryMountain,Utah),theygavetwosongsandtwoprayers。ThentheywenttoSierraBlanca(Colorado)

  andmadetwosongsandprayersanddressedthemountaininclothingofwhiteshellwithtwoeagleplumesuponitshead。TheyvisitedSanMateoMountain(NewMexico)andgavetoittwosongsandprayers,anddresseditinturquoise,eventoleggingsandmoccasins,andplacedtwoeagleplumesuponitshead。ThentheywenttoSanFranciscoMountain(Arizona)

  andmadetwosongsandprayersanddressedthatmountaininabaloneshellswithtwoeagleplumesuponitshead。TheythenvisitedUteMountainandgavetoittwosongsandprayersanddresseditinblackbeads。Thentheyreturnedtotheirownmountainwherethefogsmeetandsaid,\"Wetwohavemadeallthesesongs。\"

  Otherbrotherswerebornofthewhitecornandyellowcorn,andtwobrotherswereplacedoneachmountain。Theyarethespiritsofthemountainsandtothemthecloudscomefirst。Allthebrotherstogethermadegame,thedeerandelkandbuffalo,andsogamewascreated。

  NavajosprayforrainandsnowtoHasjeltiandHostjoghon。Theystanduponthemountaintopsandcallthecloudstogatheraroundthem。

  Hasjeltipraystothesun,fortheNavajos。

  \"Father,givemethelightofyourmindthatmymindmaybestrong。Givemeyourstrength,thatmyarmmaybestrong。Givemeyourrays,thatcornandothervegetationmaygrow。\"

  ThemostimportantprayersareaddressedtoHasjeltiandthemostvaluablegiftsmadetohim。HetalkstotheNavajosthroughthebirds,andforthisreasonthechoicestfeathersandplumesareplacedinthecigarettesandattachedtotheprayersticksofferedtohim。

  TheSong—HunterNavajo(NewMexico)

  Amansatthinking。\"Letmesee。Mysongsaretooshort。Iwantmoresongs。WhereshallIgotofindthem?\"

  Hasjeltiappearedandperceivinghisthoughts,said,\"Iknowwhereyoucangetmoresongs。\"

  \"Well,Iwanttogetmore。SoIwillfollowyou。\"

  TheywenttoacertainpointinaboxcanonintheBigColoradoRiverandheretheyfoundfourgods,theHostjobokon,atwork,hewingcottonwoodlogs。

  Hasjeltisaid,\"Thiswillnotdo。Cottonwoodbecomeswater—soaked。Youmustusepineinsteadofcottonwood。\"

  TheHostjobokonbeganboringthepinewithflint,butHasjeltisaid,\"Thatisslowwork。\"Hecommandedawhirlwindtohollowthelog。A

  cross,joiningattheexactmiddleofeachlog,asolidoneandthehollowone,wasformed。Thearmsofthecrosswereequal。

  Thesong—hunterenteredthehollowlogandHasjelticlosedtheendwithacloudsothatwaterwouldnotenterwhenthelogswerelauncheduponthegreatwaters。Thelogsfloatedoff。TheHostjobokon,accompaniedbytheirwives,rodeuponthelogs,onecouplesittinguponeacharm。

  Hasjelti,Hostjoghon,andthetwoNaaskiddiwalkeduponthebankstokeepthelogsoffshore。Hasjelticarriedasquirrelskinfilledwithtobacco,withwhichtosupplythegodsontheirjourney。Hostjoghoncarriedastaffornamentedwitheagleandturkeyplumesandagamingringwithtwohummingbirdstiedtoitwithwhitecottoncord。ThetwoNaaskiddicarriedstaffsoflightning。TheNaaskiddihadcloudsupontheirbacksinwhichtheseedsofallcornandgrasseswerecarried。

  Afterfloatingalongdistancedowntheriver,theycametowatersthathadashoreononesideonly。Heretheylanded。Heretheyfoundapeoplelikethemselves。WhenthesepeoplelearnedoftheSong—hunter,theygavehimmanysongsandtheypaintedpicturesonacottonblanketandsaid,\"Thesepicturesmustgowiththesongs。Ifwegivethisblankettoyou,youwillloseit。Wewillgiveyouwhiteearthandblackcoalswhichyouwillgrindtogethertomakeblackpaint,andwewillgiveyouwhitesand,yellowsand,andredsand。Forthebluepaintyouwilltakewhitesandandblackcoalswithaverylittleredandyellowsand。Thesewillgiveyoublue。\"

  AndsotheNavajopeoplemakeblue,eventothisday。

点击下载App,搜索"Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southw",免费读到尾