"Who is 'Wit, wit?'" asked Hessiha.
"Sas" (the sun), answered Min Taitai, "was going down, and now he is
coming back; that is who 'Wit, wit' is."
"Who is coming back?" asked Hessiha.
"Sas is coming back."
"Sas is not coming back, he is going on."
(In winter Sas goes down south, and in summer he comes back north. Min
Taitai was saying Sas is coming back, up north. Hessiha thought he was
saying Sas has gone down toward the west, and now is coming back east
without setting.)
"Wit, wit" (coming back, coming back), said Min Taitai.
"Cherep, cherep!" (going on, going on), said Hessiha.
Soon they came to blows, began to fight; when fighting, Hessiha took
red mud from the basket and threw it. Min Taitai took mud, too, and
threw it at Hessiha. Both were soon covered with mud and water.
Clover, beautiful grasses, and plants of all kinds were growing around
the sweat-house in Olelpanti. The whole place was a mass of blossoms.
"Now, my grandmothers," said Olelbis, "tell me what you think. All
that ground below us is bare; there is nothing on it. What can we do
for it?"
"My grandson, in a place southeast of this is a house in which people
live. The place is called Hlihli Pui Hlutton [acorn eastern
sweat-house place]. An old man lives there. Send Tsurat to bring that
old man to us."
"I will," said Olelbis; and he sent Tsurat, who brought Hlihli
Kiemila, who had lived all his life in that eastern sweat-house. When
Olelbis looked at the old man, he said to Tsurat: "Go to the world
beneath us with Hlihli. Carry him all over it,--north, south, east,
and west."
Hlihli was like an old worm-eaten acorn outside; inside he was like
meal or snuff, and when he moved this inside sifted out of him. He had
a daughter, Hlihli Loimis, and she had many sons.
Tsurat carried Hlihli all over the world, and when he had carried him
five days little oak bushes were springing up everywhere from the dust
which fell from him. They took seeds of clover growing around the
sweat-house in Olelpanti and scattered them; clover grew up in every
place. Olelbis threw down all kinds of flower seeds from the flowers
blossoming in Olelpanti.
A little way east of Olelbis's sweat-house lived Sedit. At the time of
the fire he ran through under the sky in the south and went up on the
sky to Olelpanti. He stayed there with Olelbis until the fire and
water stopped. Then he went east a short distance, and made a house
for himself. During the great water Sedit caught Wokwuk, and afterward
built a house near his own for him.
There was a big rock east of Sedit's house. Olelbis saw Chuluhl
sitting on this rock, and he said,--
"My brother, I have put clover on the earth. I want you to go down
there and stay with that clover, stay with it always. The place is a
good one for you." This place was Tokuston on Pui Mem. "Take this
pontcheuchi [headband made of dew], wear it around your head, wear it
always, guard the clover, put your head among its leaves, and keep the
grass and clover wet and green all the time. I will take that rock
from near Sedit's house, and put it down on the earth for you." (The
rock stands now about fifty miles above Paspuisono. It is called Pui
Toleson--rock leaning east.)
Wokwuk at the time of the great water lost the middle and longest
finger on one hand; it went far north, and after a time became a deer,
and from that deer came all the deer in the world after the fire.
When Kahit and Mem Loimis went east on the way home, Wokwuk lost a
small feather from above one of his eyes. It went west and was turned
into the beautiful shells tsanteris. He also lost two neck feathers.
They went west and became kalas, and from that came all pearl shells.
He lost the tip of his little finger. It went west and became the
Wokwuk bird down here. He lost some spittle. It went east on the water
and turned to blue beads, such as people wear now around their necks.
Wokwuk lost a small bit of his intestines. It went south on the water
and became mempak; from that come all mempak (water bone). He lost a
piece of his backbone. It went east on the water and became an elk,
and from that elk came all elks.
One day Sedit said to Olelbis, when all were telling Olelbis what they
were going to do: "Grandson, I am going to take off my skin and let it
go to the world below."
"Do so," said Olelbis.
Sedit took off his skin as he would a coat, and threw it down to this
world.
"Now there will be Sedits all over down there," said he.
While Olelbis was gathering into Olelpanti all the people from every
place outside this sky above us, Min Taitai and Hessiha were disputing
and throwing red mud at each other.
Olelbis gathered people from every side till he had gathered them all
at his house. They were there in crowds and in thousands, singing and
talking inside and outside, everywhere in Olelpanti.