Part 6

Told by the father of Frank Crockett in February, 1910. For the distribution of this story see p. 67 above. It was said to be the myth of a ceremony used to cure one who gets ill from eagle feathers when he uses them to put on his arrows.

Footnote 60:

This method of knowing when the parents are to return is found in another myth, p. 17 above.

Footnote 61:

A similar supplying of his wants is in the Navajo account, Matthews, 199.

HE WHO BECAME A SNAKE.[62]

A man (Naiyenezgani) was living alone. He brought wood there and built a fire. He danced on rawhide against white men and then went to war. He came where the white people were and killed a white woman. He raised up her skirt with a stick and Gila monster was there. “Let that be your name,” he said and Gila Monster was called _łenellai_. The two of them started back and came to a mountain called Bitcilł'ehe. From there they went back and came to a place called Tsitena'a. A porcupine was there and one of the men said, “My cousin, a porcupine lies here.” They killed it and buried it in the ashes of the fire. At midnight he uncovered it, but Naiyenezgani did not eat of it, only his partner. “My cousin, it tastes like red peppers, taste it,” he said. They lay down again and went to sleep. The next morning there were traces where the one who had eaten had crawled into the water as a snake. Naiyenezgani went back from there and in the yellow light of evening came back to Tatakawa,[63] saying, “Since early this morning I came from Tsitena'a.” When all the people had come together they asked, “What place is called that?” “Big-hawk-old-man says he has been all over earth and seen everything.[64] Send for him,” they said. When he was summoned, he came walking with his cane and sat down. “You are accustomed to say you have seen every place on earth. A man says he has come from Tsitena'a since early this morning,” they told him. “Well, it is not near. I flew from there in ten days and when I came here the yellow light of sunset was over the earth.”

Naiyenezgani then said, “He stayed with me last night and he ate something. It seems he turned into a snake and crawled in the river.”

All the Eagle people, Black Whirlwind, the Sun, the Moon, and the Gan people all started toward Tsitena'a. When they came there, in the presence of the Sun and Moon, Black Gan rolled a turquoise hoop into the water. The water of the river rose up so much. Then Ganłbaiye rolled a hoop of _bacinϵ_ into the water. Next Gan with his face half covered rolled a hoop of _tsϵłtcϵϵ_ in the water and the river was lifted up so much (about a yard). Finally, Ganłtci' rolled a hoop of _yołgai_ and the water was high enough above the river bed that a man could walk under it.[65]

They all entered the bed of the river and followed the man who had turned into a snake. They finally overtook him. There was a snake on the other side which they concluded was the one who had been a man. A turquoise hoop was rolled toward him and it jumped over his neck. From the neck up he took on the appearance of a man. A hoop of _bacinϵ_ was next rolled and it fell to the waist. Next a loop of _tcϵłtcϵϵ_ was rolled which jumped on the man and fell to the hips, above which he took the form of a man. Finally a hoop of _yołgai_ was rolled, and his entire body became human. Then they took him by the hand and led him back. They danced for him twelve nights and he was restored as a man. During the twelve nights, no one was allowed to sleep, but someone did fall asleep. The one who had turned into a snake began to sing, “I am going up. I am going up where the sky comes together,” he said as he sang. He was no longer seen where he had been standing. The man had a sister who began to sing. “Truly, I am going where it is called, mesquites-come-together.” She was no longer where she had been standing.

She is the one who crawls around here in the summertime. The female lives below; the male lives above.[66]

It was here the Indians secured the supernatural power. Naiyenezgani alone had the _najonc_ poles. He alone played with them. There were two of the poles.

My yucca fruits lie this way.

Footnote 62:

Told by the father of Frank Crockett in February, 1910. This is the myth upon which the ceremony for curing one bitten by a snake rests. For the San Carlos version see p. 64 above.

Footnote 63:

A valley on Cedar Creek in the White Mountain country.

Footnote 64:

This knowledge of geography by a bird-old-man is found in a San Carlos story, p. 21.

Footnote 65:

The deities and materials have definite associations with the world-quarters. There are certain variations in this association.

Footnote 66:

This refers to rattlesnakes under the mesquite bushes where they are said to be frequently encountered. The male above is probably the lightning which from this narrative appears connected with the porcupine.

THE HUNTER WHO SECURED THE BEAR CEREMONY.[67]

A man was out hunting when there was snow on the ground. As he walked along a hillside he slipped and fell off. Below was a bear's den and he fell right into it. When the female bear discovered him she jumped around and said, “Wau, wau, wau, wau.” “Please do not act like that, grandmother,” he said. “It seems I fell in here.” He remained there four days without anything to eat. “Are you not hungry?” the bear asked. “I am hungry,” he replied, “but what is there I can eat?” She shook herself and cactus fruit rained down from her. After a second period of fasting, the same question was asked and the same reply given. When the bear shook herself, juniper berries fell. The third time it was white oak acorns, and the fourth time, manzanita berries.

After that she said there were two persons living across the valley and that they would go there to visit. She also said the visit would be dangerous, for she had in mind bears and a bear's camp. The bear told the man to remain between her hind legs during the period of danger.

When they entered the bear's house and the hosts became aware of the man's presence, they became aroused and growled, “Wau, wau, wau.” The man remained between the hind legs of his companion who reached around with her front legs and defended him. “He has been with me a long time and he is our friend,” she said to the others.

Next they all went to a camp where there were three bears and there again the same things happened and the same expressions were used. From there they went with him to a camp where there were four bears. He was protected at that camp as on the former occasions and was introduced as a friend.

Accompanied by the bears, he went back to the camp at which he had first arrived. He had been gone a year. He came back to his own people. From this man there came to be bear songs and medicinemen with bear power.

Footnote 67:

Told by the father of Frank Crockett in February, 1910.

THE CANNIBAL OWL.[68]

Owl was a person. He lived by eating people, carrying off the small children in a large burden basket. He had a wife to whom he brought them, saying to her, “Boil them.” When they were cooked he ate them.

There were some people who were living in a large house made of white cactus. Owl poked a pole in after them. The people inside held on to the pole. Owl pulled on it and the people held to it. They let go suddenly and Owl fell over backwards. He took two children on his back and carried them away toward the camp. He put the basket down with the children in it and went some distance away to urinate. While he was gone, the children put a large stone in the basket and defiled it. Owl started away again with his load, but when he passed under the limb of a tree the children caught hold of it. They turned into downy feathers and were blown away by the wind. “Boys, downy feathers are being blown about over there,” he said. They had been persons, but now they were downy feathers. Owl brought his load to the house for his wife. She took a knife and tried to cut across the stone with it. “It is a stone,” she said. He took it to his son-in-law. “It is a stone with manure on it,” he said. “That is its gall,” he replied. Owl went back to his wife. (The story was interrupted at this point.)

Footnote 68:

Told by the father of Frank Crockett, February, 1910.

THE DOINGS OF COYOTE.[69]

Long ago, Coyote was told that the people were dying. He tied together a hairbrush, a wooden skin-dresser, and a stone pestle, and threw them in the water. “If these float let them come back to life,” he said. They sank and, therefore, the dead did not come back.[70]

Snow fell. It rained down in the form of flour. This same Coyote said, “I chewed ice,” and it became ice.

Also the horns of deer were tallow. Coyote again said, “I chew bones.”

Coyote became ill. He had a handsome daughter. When he became ill, he told his wife to throw him away. He said their daughter was to be given to a man with a panther-skin quiver on his back who would come to play _najonc_. This man, he said, would also have a prairie-dog in his hand.

When Coyote was dead his wife gave the daughter to the man described by Coyote and he married her. It was Coyote himself, who married his own daughter. He had her hunt his lice. On the back of his head was a large wart. He told her that the lice always stay on this side, indicating a portion of his head remote from the wart. While she was looking for his lice, her husband fell asleep. Wondering why he always spoke as he did, she looked on the back of his head. There was a wart there. She slipped his head off her lap while he was asleep and going to her mother told her that the man was her father; that he had a wart on the back of his head. She picked up a large stone and was about to strike him on the crown of his head when he saw her shadow. He jumped, ran out, and trotted off toward the east. Whenever he came where there were camps people reviled him as the man who had his own daughter for his wife. They heard him saying “ci, ci, ci.” They referred to him as the scabby one and hit him. He cried “wai” and turned from human form into a coyote.

Coyote was driving some mules. He smothered five of the mules. He wondered what smothered them. “Hurry,” he said, “skin their throats. This place will be called Coyote Springs,” he said.

When coyotes were people they all drank whiskey and ran about everywhere shouting. When they became coyotes, they barked.

Footnote 69:

Told by the father of Frank Crockett.

Footnote 70:

This incident is generally known over western North America. Professor Boas has discussed its distribution.

BIBLIOGRAPHY.

FRANCISCAN FATHERS, THE. An Ethnologic Dictionary of the Navaho Language. St. Michaels, Arizona, 1910.

GODDARD, PLINY EARLE, (a) Jicarilla Apache Texts (Anthropological Papers, American Museum of Natural History, vol. VIII. New York, 1911.)

(b) The Beaver Indians (Anthropological Papers, American Museum of Natural History, vol. X, part IV. New York, 1916.)

KROEBER, A. L. Gros Ventre Myths and Tales (Anthropological Papers, American Museum of Natural History, vol. I, part III. New York, 1907.)

MATTHEWS, WASHINGTON. Navaho Legends (Memoirs, American Folk-Lore Society, vol. V. New York, 1897.)

RUSSELL, FRANK. Myths of the Jicarilla Apache (Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. XI, 1898.)

VOTH, H. R. The Traditions of the Hopi (Publication 96, Anthropological Series, Field Columbian Museum, vol. VIII. Chicago, 1905.)

WISSLER, CLARK, AND DUVALL, D. C. Blackfoot Mythology (Anthropological Papers, American Museum of Natural History, vol. II, part I. New York, 1908.)

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES

1. Silently corrected typographical errors. 2. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed. 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.