"There is a man who lives at the same place as Kobalus Herit. He wants
to see you. His name is Tsanteris Herit."
"That man has a hollow breast," said Norwan. "I don't like him."
"A man from the far north is coming, Keli Herit."
"I don't like him," said Norwan; "he has a bad odor. He smells like
the earth."
"A man from way down south, Bisus Herit, is coming to see you."
"Oh, I don't like him; his legs are too short; he eats bony fish."
"My sister, a man is coming who lives a short distance south of us,
Tede Wiu Herit."
"I don't like him; he has too much breast; it sticks out too much."
"My sister, Katsi Herit is coming."
"I know him," said Norwan. "He is too quick-tempered: he gets angry
too easily."
"Chati Wai Halina Herit is coming to see you."
"I don't like him; he smells of pitch always.
"I must go now for wood; we have no wood this evening," said Norwan,
and she went out to bring some. She brought an armful, and while going
to the same place for a second bundle she heard some one coming. A man
took her by the arm. She turned, and saw Sedit of Sonomyai dressed
beautifully. She pushed him away and ran home. Sedit did not follow
her.
Next morning early she went out, and looking at one side of the door
saw two stones lying there, and a hooked stick four or five feet long,
called lakus, used to pull a limb of a tree toward you. She broke the
stones to pieces, broke the stick, threw the pieces in the fire, and
burned them. She knew that some man had put them there and intended to
come. That night she was lying on the south side of the sweat-house
and her brother on the north. It was dark, and they heard some one
coming toward the house. The stranger came in, sat down behind
Hessiha, sat with his head between his hands; his hair was sticking
out, and looked as though it had never been combed. Norwan looked at
this person, never took her eyes from him, but said not a word, and he
said nothing. After a while he stood up and walked out. While going he
threw something toward Norwan. It fell near her, and she picked it up.
It was a small net bag half full of mice. She threw it after the
stranger. He was Chati Wai Halina.
When morning came, Norwan took a bundle of brush, went to where the
visitor had sat, swept the place clean, and threw fresh earth on it.
The next night they heard some one walking outside. Soon a man came
in. He had a quiver in his hand made of deerskin. He looked around and
went over behind the place where Norwan was lying and sat down. She
lay there looking at him. After sitting awhile he lay down, stayed all
night, and went away just at daybreak. This was Norbis Kiemila.
In the early morning before dancing she built a fire outside and sat
down at it. That same morning Hessiha saw a man coming toward them,
coming from the southeast. When he came to where Norwan was at the
fire, he sat down. His name was Serin Dolite. He wore a bunch of fresh
leaves on each side of his head. He had a second name, Pai Homhoma.
"My sister," said this man, "I have come because my uncle sent me to
tell you that the people at Hlihli Pui Hlutton finished talking
yesterday, and they are going to have a great feast and a pleasant
time. 'Tell my niece,' said he, 'to come and dance with us.' My uncle
is Kopus Kiemila. He is named also Pui Uhlukyo. He is a Hlahi. He sent
word to Norbis two days ago, and he sent word to Kaukau Herit. He has
sent word everywhere. There will be a great many people in Hlihli Pui
Hlutton. He has sent word to Sedit, who lives at Sonomyai, and to
Katsi Herit, who lives opposite Pas Puisono, and to Kobalus Herit and
Tsanteris Herit and Keli Herit and to Tede Wiu Herit, who lives at Koï
Nomsono, and many others. He has sent to your brother Waida Werris.
Waida Werris may come; he may not. Kopus Kiemila wants you to come
surely."
"Very well," said Norwan, "I will go to-morrow."
Serin Dolite was satisfied and went away.
"Now, my little brother," said Norwan to Hessiha that night, "I am
going away to-morrow. You will stay here, I hope. I shall be glad if
you stay at home and take care of this house."
When she rose in the morning, she stretched her right hand toward the
southeast and got buri luli, which are very beautiful red flowers. She
put her hand there a second time, and to her hand came hawe luli, pure
white blossoms, for clothing. A third time she put her hand out, and
hluyuk luli, which are the star flowers, came on it. These she put
around her head as a garland, and made shoes of the same flowers. Then
she took her staff yósoü.
"My brother," said she, when dressed, "I am ready to go."
"My brother's daughter," called Kar Kiemila from Olelpanti when she
was starting, "go and dance. I will sit here and look at you."
Sweat-house doors look toward the south usually, but the great one
above, made by Olelbis, on which Kar Kiemila was sitting, had its door
in the east, because Olelbis took most of his beautiful things from
the southeast, and he could look down in that direction from the door
of his house in Olelpanti. The door in Hlihli Pui Hlutton was toward
the west, because from that door they could see the great house in
Olelpanti. The house built by Olelbis was the best in all the world,
above or below. Kopus Kiemila's house was second to it, and the best
in the lower land.
Norwan went at the time appointed, and Hessiha stayed behind at Norwan
Buli. When Serin Dolite brought the invitation, Norwan made him
promise to meet her on the road.
"You must come," said she, "to give me news before I reach the
sweat-house."
Just at the edge of a place called Pui Toror, Serin Dolite ran out and
met Norwan.
"Oh, my sister," said he, "Kopus Kiemila sent me to say to you to come
quickly, to hurry. The people from every place are there now. All
those have come of whom I told you, except Norbis and your brother
Waida Werris; they have not come yet. Besides others, Boki Kiemila
from Hlop Henmenas has come. You must hurry as much as you can, and
come quickly."
When he had given the message, he rushed back and left Norwan to
travel at her own pace. She went along the top of Pui Toror, and came
to a spot where she heard much laughing and talking. Soon she saw a
large crowd of children playing. The ground was smooth,--no rocks, no
grass, just level land. When she came up, the children said to her,--
"Our elder sister, we want to see the dance. We want to go to the
sweat-house, but we have nothing to wear; we have no clothes and we
can get none."
The girls were all of the Tsudi people, the boys, Patkilises. Norwan
looked around and saw at some distance a great many sunflower leaves.
"We took leaves like those," said one of the boys, "and tried to put
them on as ears, but we could not make them stay."
Norwan stretched her hand southward, and gray fog which rises from
water came on it. She put this fog on a Patkilis boy to wear. She
stretched her hand to the east, and red and yellow feathers came to
it. Of these she made ears for that Patkilis boy. She put her hand
south and found willow catkins, white ones, and made a tail and put it
on the Patkilis boy. She gave him shoes made of the catkins. When that
one boy was dressed, she said, "Let all the others be like this one;"
and that moment all Patkilis boys were like him.
Now she took acorn mould, green and brown, put it on one of the Tsudi
girls. She took yósoü leaves from her staff (the leaves are like mice
ears), and put them on the girl for ears. She took more acorn mould,
rubbed and rolled it out like a little stick, and made a tail. When
one Tsudi girl was dressed nicely, she said, "Let all the others be
like this one;" and that moment they were like her.
"Now, sister," said they, "we are ready."
Norwan started, and all the Tsudi girls and Patkilis boys went with
her. When they came to the door of the sweat-house, they looked around
and saw that all the trees were full of fresh, beautiful acorns; the
top of the house was covered with them. There were piles and piles of
acorns inside and around the sweat-house, and a little way off a
great many trees were loaded with fruit.
From Olelpanti they could see down into Hlihli Puihlutton. All persons
who had come were inside. Norwan looked in and saw many people, all
looking toward the door.
"See Norwan coming," said they. "She is beautiful,--oh, she is
beautiful!"
Kopus Kiemila was on the south side, near the door. He had five sacks
of acorns near him. He was singing over them, singing about health and
soundness. When he saw Norwan, he said,--
"Come in; come in, my brother's daughter. You are one of the last. All
have come but two."
She went beyond Kopus to a seat. A young woman who was sitting near
rose and said,--
"Come, my sister; come and sit with me."
This was Hlihli Loimis. Her brother Hlihli Herit stood always on top
of Kopus's house and called, "Hai! Hai!" which means "Come! Come!" and
beckoned with his hand for people to enter.
Norwan sat down at the south side of the door, and all the Tsudi and
Patkilis children took their places behind her.
"You are almost the last to come," said Hlihli Loimis. "Look at the
north side of the house. See how many people are there. See the light;
that is Kaukau Herit. He is white and shining; light beams from him."
"Now," said Kopus, "all you people from the north, my sons-in-law and
my daughters-in-law, make ready to dance."
The northern people rose at his call and danced. Kaukau Herit danced.
When he rose and moved, it was as when a light is brought into a dark
place. He danced five times and sat down.
"Now, my sons-in-law," said Kopus, "sit back and look on. My
sons-in-law from the west, you will dance now; dance you, Katsi Herit
and Sedit of Sonomyai, and dance you, my daughters-in-law."
The western people danced; Sedit, Boki, all danced. While they were
dancing, they dropped beautiful shells. These shells fell from them as
snow falls from the sky, and the whole floor was covered with shells,
just as mountains in winter are covered with snow.
"Now sit back and look on," said Kopus. The western people sat down.
"My sons-in-law and my daughters-in-law," called Kopus to the southern
people, "make ready to dance."
The two Tede Wiu brothers from Koï Nomsono were to lead the southern
people in the dance. Kopus called five times; the southern people did
not move. Then the elder Tede Wiu made a step and stopped; when he
raised his foot to take a second step, all began to dance. Both
brothers carried a load of mempak on their arms, and each had a flint
knife. As they danced they attached long strings of mempak to one side
of the house higher than a man's head; they extended the strings to
the other side and tied them there. They stretched mempak in this way
from side to side as they danced, and from end to end, lengthwise and
crosswise; then they danced under it. The beautiful strings were
shining in every color just above their heads. The music, the mempak,
and the dancing were so beautiful that all were delighted; all people
were glad; they could hardly sit still and look on.
The brothers danced up to where Kopus was sitting, took strings of
shell and mempak from their necks and heads, and put them down before
him; next they put down their two beautiful knives. When they had done
this they danced away to the other end of the sweat-house, and then
danced up again to where Kopus was.
Norwan rose and began to dance without knowing it. She could not help
dancing. Every one looked at her. She danced with the two brothers,
danced away to the other side of the house with them. Only after a
time did she see that she was dancing.
The two brothers sat down; she sat with them. Then the three stood up
and went out.
They had just gone when Norbis came in. He was splendidly dressed,
wore mempak, had a garland of fresh young leaves on his head, and on
the top of it mempak. He sat down and asked some one near by,--
"Where is my wife?"
"Norwan has gone with the two Tede Wiu brothers."
"I don't believe that!" said Norbis.
He sprang up, went around, and asked others. All said, "She is with
the Tede Wiu brothers."
At last Norbis went out, taking his people. They had gone into the
house, but had not danced. They followed at his call. He went swiftly
to the northwest to overtake the two brothers.
The dance was at an end. All started home. Daylight was near.
The two brothers did not go to Norwan Buli Hlut, which was farther
north than Koï Nomsono. They kept the woman at their own house till
morning. When they reached home each of the brothers said,--
"My people, be ready for a great hunt at daybreak."