Continuing their journey, Doonongaes and his companion soon came to a

village where no one was found, although smoke arose from every lodge’s

smoke-hole. “This must be the place I visited once before,” said

Doonongaes; “there is something very mysterious about it.” “No, there

is nothing mysterious here,” replied Tsodiqgwadon. “The place is always

kept this way. It is kept for people who are traveling around the

world, so that when they come to this village they can eat whatever

they like. It is called Yondekhonyatha Ganondayen.” [225] “Who has

arranged all this?” asked Doonongaes. “A Great Power226 in the Blue Sky

made this village, so every man could eat here,” answered Tsodiqgwadon.

“Very well, let us eat, then,” said Doonongaes. So, going into one of

the lodges, they took meat in a bowl. When they were ready to eat,

Tsodiqgwadon began to laugh. “Why do you laugh?” asked Doonongaes; “you

said this belonged to all people who are on the trail.” Tsodiqgwadon

had now become what Doonongaes was—that is, Sʻhodieonskon—and he said,

“I will go outside for a moment.” While Tsodiqgwadon went out,

Doonongaes began to eat. At that moment he felt that someone was there.

On turning around, he saw a Stone Coat227 sharpening his chert

knife—yes, he saw several sitting around, all sharpening their chert

knives. “What are you sharpening your knives for?” asked Doonongaes.

“We are going to kill you,” came the reply. “Wait until I am ready.

Give me fair play,” said Doonongaes. “All right,” was the reply, “but

you must hurry up.” He went to the woods where he found Tsodiqgwadon,

who, laughing, asked, “Did you see anything to frighten you?” “Yes; I

have a fight on my hands,” answered Doonongaes. “Well, I am going on,”

said Tsodiqgwadon; “all the help I will give you is to tell you what

kind of a weapon these people are afraid of. It is a basswood228

knife.” “Should I not make a flint club?” asked Doonongaes. “No; that

would not hurt them a bit. Make a basswood club,” came the answer.

Doonongaes made, therefore, both a basswood knife and a club, and then,

going back to the Stone Coats, he said, “I am ready.” When they saw his

basswood knife and club they were terribly frightened, and ran off as

fast as they could toward the north, chased by Doonongaes. The first

one he overtook he hit on the head with his club, whereupon the Stone

Coat crumbled down to the ground, dead, with his body and coat smashed

to pieces. Doonongaes treated the next one in a like manner and so on

until he had overtaken and killed them all—men, women, and children.

Then he said: “This is the kind of man I am. Why did Tsodiqgwadon leave

me? I can chase him, too, when I find him.” At that moment, hearing

someone behind him, he looked around only to see Tsodiqgwadon, who

asked, “What are you talking about?” Doonongaes replied, “Oh! I was

saying that you are the best friend I have in the world.”

Once more the two went on together, and the next morning they came to a

rock which was so high that they could not see the top of it.

Doonongaes now changed himself into a buck, and rubbing his horns on

the rock said, “I can kill Hinon [229] if I see him.” At that moment

Hinon came out of the rock, and standing before him, asked, “What were

you saying?” “Oh! I said that the man who lives in here is the best

friend I have,” answered Doonongaes. Tsodiqgwadon stood on one side,

laughing. Believing Doonongaes, Hinon went back into the rock.

The two friends now continued journeying toward the north. Tsodiqgwadon

said to his companion, “I want you to stop fooling everybody, for you

do not know what orenda other persons have; you may get into trouble

some time.” Toward night they came to a lodge in which many old men

lived. These were singing a war song, Ogwenion denkenoonk ganyohshon

enkhegen heyoendjadeh.[230] All sang the same song. Assuming the form

of this people, who were Gendagahadenyatha,231 Doonongaes, going into

the lodge, began singing a war song, too, but with different words. He

sang, Deaun ni daegwanoenk Onen neho agyon heonwe niswaiiyon.232

Thereupon the old men began to talk, and the chief of them said: “What

does this man sing? He is an enemy. Let us scalp him.” Springing up and

seizing their flint knives, they ran after him. Tsodiqgwadon stood

outside, laughing. Doonongaes became a snake, and when they saw this

the old people ran back, for they were too small to fight such a man.

Tsodiqgwadon said to Doonongaes, “Let them alone.” “No; I will settle

this people,” answered Doonongaes. “You would better let them alone. It

is not right to act in this way all the time,” replied Tsodiqgwadon.

“Let us go on then; there is no use in standing here if you will not

harass these people with me,” said Doonongaes.

Traveling toward the east, the two companions soon saw a large man

coming in their direction. When they met him they spoke to him, and the

man said to Doonongaes: “I have come to tell you that you are not doing

right in attacking people. You may strike your friend.” At this

Doonongaes struck Tsodiqgwadon, knocking him down. The large man

laughed, saying, “That is what I like.” Tsodiqgwadon jumped up,

whereupon the stranger said: “You must strike back,” so Tsodiqgwadon

struck Doonongaes. “Now, you must say bad words to each other and

scold,” said he. They began to scold, and threaten, and talk fiercely.

“That is enough,” said the large man. “You can go now, and whatever

people you see as you go around the world, pursue them; that is what I

like. I am always near you as you go along.” Then the large man, whose

name was Nanisheonon,[233] went off toward the west.

Tsodiqgwadon and Doonongaes now started for Broken Land. The former

said: “That is why I always tell you to stop chasing people. You see

now. We met this large man on account of your hurting people. He likes

such things. Stop your fooling and be like me. Tomorrow is the day of

our council meeting.” When they reached Broken Land Doonongaes said:

“Here is where I was killed, and I will show you where the man lived

who brought me to life, and to whose lodge I went and killed him.” “Is

that what you do to people who help you?” said Tsodiqgwadon. “That is

what I did to him because he was trying to keep our two most beautiful

women,” Doonongaes replied. “What did you do with the women?” asked

Tsodiqgwadon. “I lived with them until you told me to go with you, and

that all women belonged to you,” was the reply. “Did I tell you that?”

said Tsodiqgwadon. “Yes, you did,” retorted Doonongaes. At this

Tsodiqgwadon laughed. “What are you laughing at?” asked Doonongaes. “I

am laughing because I fooled you so when I said that to you,” rejoined

Tsodiqgwadon. “You will not be angry, then, if I go to them?” said

Doonongaes. “Oh! you can go if you like,” was the reply. “Very well, I

will go now,” declared Doonongaes. “May I visit you until tomorrow?”

asked Tsodiqgwadon. “No; I think you would better not,” was the answer.

“All right; I can stay here until the time comes for the council,” said

Tsodiqgwadon. Going to his mother-in-law’s lodge, Doonongaes asked,

“Where are your daughters?” “Oh! they have gone back to their first

husbands,” said the old woman. “Have they forgotten me?” asked

Doonongaes. “You know,” answered the old woman, “that you have been

gone a long time. They waited two years for you.” “Well, I have been

all over the world. I thought they would wait until my return,”

declared Doonongaes. “Stay here and I will go for them,” said the old

woman. She went to her elder daughter, to whom she said, “Your husband,

the great chief, has come back.” “I will go to him,” replied the woman.

Then going to her second daughter, she said, “I have come for you; your

husband has returned.” The daughter said, “My husband is here.” “Not

that one,” replied her mother; “I mean the great chief.” “I know; but I

waited a long time for him. I should be ashamed to go from this husband

now,” she added. “Oh!” said the old woman, “this man you have now is

not worth anything; he has not a bit of wampum.” “I will go, then,”

said the girl, “but do not tell my husband.” So she dressed up and made

a bundle of her things in preparation to go away. “Where are you

going?” asked her husband. “To my mother’s lodge.” “Very well,” said

he, and off she went.

When the two girls reached their mother’s lodge, after greeting

Doonongaes, they began to talk to him. One asked, “Where have you been

for so long a time?” “Oh! I have been to the northern, southern, and

western ends of this earth,” replied Doonongaes. “Do you know what

there is going to be tomorrow?” she asked. “No; what is it?” asked

Doonongaes. “They are going to have a great council,” she replied.

“What kind of council?” he inquired. “Oh! to appoint another chief.

They will take the chieftaincy away from Tsodiqgwadon and put somebody

else in your place as second chief,” was the answer. “Why so?” demanded

Doonongaes. “Because you chase all the people living in the world,” she

replied. Now Doonongaes began to feel sad; he sat there with his head

down, thinking until night. Then he made up his mind, saying, “Well, if

they do put me out I will always be Sʻhodieonskon.” The next morning he

felt better, because his mind was made up. As soon as they were through

eating, all the people went to Broken Land.

When they had assembled Doonongaes arose, saying, “I believe all are

now present.” Thereupon Tsodiqgwadon arose. He told them what the

council was for, and said to the people, “You now have to choose a head

chief and a second chief for the whole world, and every village is to

choose a chief for itself.” But Deanohdjes had not yet come. Then one

man, arising, said, “I should like to make Deanohdjes [234] head

chief.” They talked the question over; one-half were for Deanohdjes and

the other half against him. Only one man remained silent. Remarking,

“Well, I can say nothing until tomorrow,” Tsodiqgwadon then adjourned

the meeting. The next morning Deanohdjes arrived. When the council

assembled Tsodiqgwadon arose and said: “All are now present. Now, my

father, are you willing to be the head chief of the whole world?”

Deanohdjes hung his head, while the people all were silent. Then,

raising his head, he said, “I can say nothing for 10 days.” So the

council adjourned and met again in 10 days. Thereupon Deanohdjes said:

“I will tell you my mind. Put this duty on Doonongaes; make him head

chief of all the world.” Doonongaes was delighted, but Tsodiqgwadon

said, “He is too mean a man for that; he is Sʻhodieonskon.” “If he is

made head chief of the world he will change,” replied Deanohdjes. “He

who is most powerful in orenda should be head chief,” said

Tsodiqgwadon; “Doonongaes has not much power.” “Well, you have more

orenda than anyone else in the world,” said Deanohdjes, to which

Tsodiqgwadon retorted: “I do what the people wish. They said they were

going to appoint another chief, and I supposed they had found some one

who is magically more powerful than I am.” Then Tsodiqgwadon,

addressing the meeting, said, “Take the person who you think has the

greatest orenda.” Some one then said: “Let us adjourn for 10 days, for

only our own people are present now, while others who are coming should

be here. Let Haiwanenqgwi235 be sent to all the people of every kind in

the world to notify them of the council.” Accordingly he was sent, and

the council was adjourned. After going all over the world, as he

thought, he came back. “Have you been everywhere?” asked Tsodiqgwadon.

“Yes; the world is not so large that I had need of many days to visit

all its parts,” replied Haiwanenqgwi. “Have you found every known

people?” was asked him. “Yes, excepting one; I have not seen these,” he

answered. “Who are they?” asked Tsodiqgwadon. “The Dagwanoenyents,”

Haiwanenqgwi said. “Oh! did you not go to Gaha Gastende,236 where the

high rocks are in the east?” inquired Tsodiqgwadon. “No; I thought no

one lived there,” he replied. “Well, you must go there, for that is the

place where the Dagwanoenyents live,” declared Tsodiqgwadon.

Haiwanenqgwi started again. On reaching the foot of the mountain he met

some of the Dagwanoenyents, who roam all over the region of Wind Cliff,

and to them he said, “I have come to notify your people that a council

is to be held at Broken Land in 10 days from now.” The chief answered,

“You stay here until I call a meeting, so you can tell all the people,

for if I should deliver the message they might not believe me.” So

saying, he went on the mountain to a place where these people always

held their meetings; it was a smooth place without trees or grass. Soon

the people began to appear, and when all had come, there were hundreds

and hundreds of them. Haiwanenqgwi, rising, said, “I have come to

notify your people that a council will be held at Broken Land 10 days

hence and that you must all be present.” In response all said, “We will

be there at the appointed time.” Then the meeting adjourned and all

went home. When Haiwanenqgwi returned to his home Tsodiqgwadon asked

him, “Have you now notified all kinds of people?” He replied, “Yes; all

those whom I have ever seen.” Thereupon he was asked, “Have you

notified the Stone Coats?” To which he answered, “No; where do they

live?” Tsodiqgwadon told him, saying: “They live on Gahsgwaa

Tgawenot,[237] far off in the west. After you have been there go to an

island in a southerly direction therefrom called Othegwenhdah

Tgawenot;238 there you will find other people. Thence you must go in a

southeasterly direction until you come to Oosah Tgawenot.239 The people

of this island are called Gaisonhe.240 Thence go southward again and

you will come to Nitgawenosatieha,241 where the Djinonhsanon242 people

live. Just beyond Nitgawenosatieha you will find Tgawenogwen,243 where

the Onowehda244 people dwell. Be sure to notify all the people on these

islands. Then go toward the east and you will reach a large island, on

which you will find the Djisdaah people; this island is called Djisdaah

Tgawenot.245 Thence go northward and then return here as soon as

possible. Do not delay on the way.” These were the instructions of

Tsodiqgwadon. Haiwanenqgwi, answering, “Very well,” started westward.

When he came to the end of the earth at the west he remarked to

himself, “What shall I do to reach Gahsgwaa Tgawenot?” [246] Then he

quickly assumed the form of a snake, and, going into the water, swam

about half way to the island, when loud thunder and vivid lightnings

made him halt, whereupon he said, “I think that Hinon wants to kill me,

so I will change myself into a Hahnowa.” As soon as he had become a

Hahnowa, Hinon stopped his threatenings, and the sky cleared off, and

everything became as bright as ever. He reached the Gahsgwaa Tgawenot,

or Stone Island, when he again assumed the form of a man. Going on, he

met a person to whom he said, “I have come to notify your people that

we are going to have a great council at Broken Land 10 days from now.”

“Well, where is your wampum?” he was asked. “I have none,” said

Haiwanenqgwi, who asked in turn, “Where is your chief?” “Go westward,”

he was told, “and you will come to a large opening in the rocks—there

you will find our chief.” He came to this opening, and on looking in,

saw a very old man sitting there. As soon as he stopped at the edge of

the opening, the old man, looking up, said, “What do you want here?”

Haiwanenqgwi replied, “I have come to notify you that our people will

hold a great council at Broken Land, and that our head chief sends for

you to come there in 10 days from now.” “Very well, I will come with

all my people,” answered the old man.

Assuming the form of a Hahnowa, Haiwanenqgwi now went over the water

until he came to the next island, which was called Othegwenhdah

Tgawenot. Here he assumed the form of a man, and going to the chief,

whose name was Hoonkgowanen,[247] he said, “I have come to invite you

to a great council, which is to be held at Broken Land in 10 days.” The

chief replied, “Very well; we will be there on time.”

Then Haiwanenqgwi, again assuming the form of a Hahnowa, went over the

water to Oosah Tgawenot.[248] At this place he found Shayades,249 the

chief of the people who dwelt there. To him Haiwanenqgwi gave the

invitation to be at the great council at Broken Land in 10 days, and

then he went on to Nitgawenosatieha. Soon he met some men who took him

to their chief, whose name was Deanohsgwis.250 Having given him the

invitation, the chief accepted it, saying, “We will go to the council.”

Haiwanenqgwi next went to Tgawenogwen.[251] Changing himself into

Onowehda,252 he stood around for a time, but, not seeing anyone, mused

to himself: “When shall I be able to see these people? It must be that

I have missed the place.” But as he stood waiting, some of the people

appeared. He learned that they dwelt in the ground, and that their

chief’s name was Hononhengwen.253 On receiving the invitation, the

chief promised in the name of his people to go to the great council at

Broken Land.

Then Haiwanenqgwi went to Ganehdaiikhon Tgahadayen [254] Tgawenot,

where the Degatengowa255 people lived. There he saw one of the men

standing in the air, at which he wondered what he was standing there

for, concluding at last that this man must be possessed of the most

powerful orenda to be found on the island. Soon a person came to him

and conducted him to the chief, to whom he announced the invitation to

the great council at Broken Land. The name of this chief was

Henhgadji.256 The invitation was willingly accepted.

Haiwanenqgwi now went to Djisdaah Tgawenot,[257] where the Djisdaah

people lived. There he assumed the form of one of these people. Having

met a man, he said to him, “I have come to notify you of a great

council to be held in 10 days at Broken Land.” But the man told him

that he must go to the chief. “Well, take me to him, then,” he replied.

“Go straight ahead,” was the answer; “you will find the lodge yourself,

for I can not go with you.” So Haiwanenqgwi went along farther and soon

came to a lodge in which sat an old man, large and solemn in

appearance; this was the Djisdaah chief. When he drew near, the old

man, raising his head, said “Well, what news do you bring?” “I bring an

important message to you and your people,” he answered. “Oh! wait then.

Let me get some tobacco and light my pipe.”258 So saying, he took a

large bunch of oak leaves—these were his tobacco—and beginning to chew

them, he said, “Now, I am ready to listen to your message.” Thereupon

Haiwanenqgwi gave him the invitation to the great council. The chief,

whose name was Hodehondasiowanen,259 said, “We will be there at the

appointed time.”

Haiwanenqgwi then ran homeward all night, reaching Broken Land in the

morning. Once there he declared, “I have now visited all the peoples on

the earth.” But Tsodiqgwadon asked, “Have you visited Gaasyendietʻha

[260] yet?” “No, I do not know where he lives,” he replied. “You must,

however, go to him. Bring me an arrow,” said Tsodiqgwadon. The arrow

having been brought, Tsodiqgwadon split the head, and after making

Haiwanenqgwi small, placed him in the head and closed it, fastening it

securely. Then Tsodiqgwadon said to the arrow: “I want you to go to the

place where Gaasyendietʻha dwells. There you will find a Great Rock of

white chert or flint, which is red-hot; under this stone is a cavern in

which Gaasyendietʻha lives. This rock is on the edge of the Blue Sky,

where it meets the waters, just where the sun sets. Gaasyendietʻha

carries this stone with him when he travels in winter so that he can

break the ice as he goes; it is called Gaonhiahge Tgastendeh.261 There

is no earth there; only stone. I want you to go directly to the Rock in

the Blue Sky.” Then stringing the bow, he shot the arrow westward. The

arrow, now alive, went flying through the air until it came to the end

of the sky, where it saw the Rock in the Blue Sky. On coming down it

struck the hot rock. The man who lived under the rock said, “Something

has come down on my ball,” and pushing off the hot rock, he came forth.

Thereupon Haiwanenqgwi, coming out of the arrowhead, said to

Gaasyendietʻha, “Tsodiqgwadon sent me to ask you to be present at a

council to be held in nine days from now at Broken Land.” “What is the

council for?” asked the host. “To appoint a new chief for all the

people under the Blue Sky,” came the reply. “Very well,” said he, “I

will go.” Gaasyendietʻha asked, “How did you come, for I have never

known any man to be able to come up to the Rock in the Blue Sky

before?” “Oh! I came in the arrow,” answered his visitor. “Well, then,

I must send you back in the same manner,” replied Gaasyendietʻha. “All

right; I will have to return that way,” said Haiwanenqgwi. In picking

up the arrow Gaasyendietʻha found that its head was split, so seizing

Haiwanenqgwi and shaking him to reduce his size, he was finally able to

reinsert him in the arrowhead, wherein he carefully secured him. Having

done this, he cast the arrow eastward and it flew away. In a short time

it came down at the feet of Tsodiqgwadon, who had not moved from that

place since he had shot the arrow westward. When Haiwanenqgwi came

forth he was asked, “Have you notified all the people now?” He replied,

“Yes; I have, so far as I know, notified all the peoples under the Blue

Sky.” But Tsodiqgwadon declared: “No; you have not; there are a large

number yet who have not been notified of the great council. You must

now go eastward to the place where Tkwendahen Niohsiowesiohden262

lives. This place is situated on an island called Gaahgwa Tgawenot,263

which is located just where the sun rises. The chief of this place is

called Djahgwiyu.264 When you have performed your errand here you must

go northward until you find another island, which is called

Ohnonqgon(t)265 Tgawenot. The name of the chief of the people who dwell

here is called Djihtkwahen Niothwahasyohden.266 When you have finished

your errand here you must go northeastward, and you will reach an

island which is called Gainhdoya267 Tgawenot; and the name of the chief

who lives on this island is Djihtkwahen268 Haos. After you have

notified him, take a westerly course, visiting an island which is

called Hahnowa269 Tgawenot, and on which all kinds of Hahnowa people

live. The name of their chief is Honohtsagagiyit.270 After giving him

your message you must go northward to Ohneqsah271 Tgawenot, where all

kinds of Sowekshohon272 people live, the name of whose chief is

Hahnyahses,273 who is of the Awaeh274 people; and when you have

delivered your message to all these people, thence start southwestward

and return home.”

Haiwanenqgwi then set out for Sun Island. There he saw after a while

one of the Djahgwiyu [275] people coming toward him, whereupon he

thought: “What can this mean? Is the world going to burn up?” But soon

he saw that it was Tkwendahen276 Niohsiowesiohden himself, who said,

“What have you come for?” Haiwanenqgwi replied, “Oh! Tsodiqgwadon, the

chief of the world, has sent me to notify you and your people of a

council to be held at Broken Land in eight days from now.” “Very well;

we will be there,” declared Tkwendahen Niohsiowesiohden.

Then Haiwanenqgwi went to Ohnonqgon(t) Tgawenot, and after that he

reached Gainhdoya Tgawenot. When he arrived there he saw five men

fishing. For a while he stood watching them, thinking, “What beautiful

belts these men have.” When they saw him coming they threw reeds [277]

at him to bewitch him, to make him sore, and to cause him to swell up.

When the reeds pierced his body, at once he began to swell and to

suffer great pain. At last, to escape from them, he leaped into the

water, where he remained until the pain was gone, and then, coming out,

he said to these men: “Be quiet! I have not come to harm you, but I

have been sent to you to notify you that there will be a great council

at Broken Land eight days from now, and that Tsodiqgwadon wishes to

have you come.” In reply these men said, “Well, we must first go to

tell our chief before we can give you an answer.” When the chief was

told of Haiwanenqgwi’s mission he promised faithfully to be present

with his advisers.

Haiwanenqgwi went next to Hahnowa Tgawenot, where he delivered his

message, and then he retraced his steps homeward. Having arrived there,

Tsodiqgwadon asked him, “Have you now notified all the peoples of the

world?” “Yes; I have notified all,” was his reply. “No; you have

notified only half of the tribes of men. You must now go up to the Land

in the Blue Sky, called Gaonyahge [278] Diyoendjadeh, and you must go

in a southerly direction. This land is very high, and you can not get

there until orenda for that purpose is given you. The Sʻhadahgeah279

people dwell in that land, the name of whose chief is Odahnoqgwiyah280

Haos. You will tell him first, and then go westward, where you will

find seven281 men living on the clouds; these seven men are Hinon

people. The elder one and chief of these people we call Shedwaqsot.282

After you have given your message to these seven men, you must go

straight up until you reach the central part of the Blue Sky, and

directly above the Blue Sky you will find a man whose name is

Hahasdensyowanen.283 And when you have told him your message come

straight down to the ground. Directly under the door in the center of

the Blue Sky you will find an opening in the earth. In this opening you

will find an Odonseh284 man, whose name is Shagoewatha;285 notify him

also. A short distance from this opening you will see a high rock, on

which you will find the tallest of men, whose name is

Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa.286 You must summon him, too. Thence go farther along

the rocks, and you will reach the dwelling place of the chief

Ganiagwaihegowa.287 You must notify him also, and then you must return

here.” Tsodiqgwadon gave Haiwanenqgwi a small piece of a substance

which resembled flesh, and which possessed great orenda. In giving it

to him, Tsodiqgwadon said, “When you desire to use this, you must chew

it,” adding further directions as to the manner of its use.

Placing this mysterious substance in his mouth, Haiwanenqgwi at once

mounted higher and higher. In a very short time he had reached the Land

in the Blue Sky. When he arrived there he looked around, and while

doing this Sʻhadahgeah saw him, and an Oqtcihgah [288] Ongwe asked him

whence he came. “Oh! I came from below,” was the answer of

Haiwanenqgwi. “How did you get up here?” was asked him. “I walked on

the air,” he answered; “and I have come to notify you that there will

be a great council at Broken Land to be held seven days from now. You

must all come.”

Thence Haiwanenqgwi went westward, passing through the air, and soon

came to a lodge situated on a cloud. Entering the lodge, he saw therein

seven men of the Hinon people, who were all smoking, so the lodge was

filled with smoke. He gave his message to the elder man, whose title

was Shedwaqsot, and who assured him that they would all go to the

council.

From that place Haiwanenqgwi went straight to the middle of the Blue

Sky, where there was a door. Passing through this, he saw an old man

sitting there, whose name was Sadjawiski;[289] he also was smoking.

Haiwanenqgwi said to him, “I came to notify you of a great council to

be held at Broken Land seven days from now.” “Very well; I will go,”

said the old man. “I have been waiting a long time for you, because I

knew that you were coming and knew what your message would be. My

brother, Shagoewatha,290 knows that you are coming to see him, too.

Wait a few moments; a man291 will pass here soon; tell him too of the

council.” Soon a man came on the run from the east; when he arrived

where the old man was he stopped. This man was Odjisdanohgwah,292 but

the people whence Haiwanenqgwi came call him Gaaqgwaah,293 for he gives

light to the world. In reply to the invitation to attend the council he

said, “It is well; I will attend,” and continued on his journey; he did

not seem to care for Haiwanenqgwi or for Sadjawiski.

Now Haiwanenqgwi came to an opening directly under the door in the Blue

Sky, far down into which he went. There he saw an old man called

Shagoewatha, to whom he said, “I have come to notify you of the great

council to be held at Broken Land in seven days from now.” The old man

replied, “It is well; I will attend it.”

Next Haiwanenqgwi went up and notified Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa, who said in

reply, “I have been wishing for a long time to meet all kinds of

people, so I will surely go.” Later Niagwaihegowa [294] also promised

to be at the great council at the appointed time.

Now Haiwanenqgwi went home feeling quite happy, thinking that he had

completed his task. But when he reached home, Tsodiqgwadon asked him,

“Have you now notified everybody?” He replied, “Yes; so far as I know.”

“No; you have not. You must go to another country, situated directly

east of this, which is a great island on which are many people,”

declared Tsodiqgwadon. “It is well,” said Haiwanenqgwi (who did not

desire to go, although he could not help doing as he was commanded); “I

will rest tonight and start in the morning.” “You may do so,” added

Tsodiqgwadon.

Early the next morning Haiwanenqgwi started, walking on the ground, but

when he came to the water at the end of the earth he walked on the air

until he arrived at Tgawenosdenh,[295] where he saw many kinds of

people, whom he notified, and then returned home. On his arrival there,

Tsodiqgwadon asked him, “Are you now through with your task?” “Yes,”

replied the messenger. “No; you have not yet finished your work,”

declared his questioner. “You must go to Othowege,296 where the chief

Hathogowa297 dwells, in the far regions of the north. You will have to

travel on the air in order to go there and return in one day.”

So Haiwanenqgwi went on the air until he reached Othowege, which was a

very cold place, for the wind was blowing and the snow was falling all

the time. Hathogowa, the chief, was naked (he looked like a human

being), and there were a great number of the Otho [298] people.

Haiwanenqgwi delivered his message to all. In reply to the invitation

they said, “It is well; we will go to Broken Land.”

Haiwanenqgwi thence returned home. When he arrived there Tsodiqgwadon

said to him, “You are not yet through with your task.” “Well,” replied

the messenger, “I will wait until tomorrow, for I am so tired that I

can not start today.” So then next morning Tsodiqgwadon gave him

further instructions, saying to him: “I want you to go to

Onenonhge,[299] where Dedioshwineqdon300 lives. To get there you must

go directly to the southern end of the earth.”

The messenger started, following the course indicated. At last he found

a beautiful country, which was very warm and full of flowers, and he

saw there a large number of people who looked like Ongwe Honwe.[301] He

gave them his message. “It is well,” they said; “we will attend the

council.”

When Haiwanenqgwi reached home he declared that he was not able to go

anywhere else. Thereupon Tsodiqgwadon, laughing, said to him, “Now, my

friend, your work is done.”

When the 10 days were expired all the people from all parts of the

world came in great numbers—from the four quarters and from above and

from below—from the east and west, north and south. They gathered about

their several stations around the great council fire. At noon, when the

sun was high in the blue sky, Tsodiqgwadon arose and asked, “Are you,

the peoples of all the world, now present?” They answered him in

chorus, “We are present.” Thereupon Tsodiqgwadon said: “I will tell you

what this council is called for. A chief of all the peoples dwelling

above and below is to be chosen, and it is for you to select one.” Now

the tribes of people talked among themselves and one with another; but

Tsodiqgwadon sat still, listening to what was said. They talked until

night and then they talked all night. They remained a whole year,

talking day and night. At the end of the year they chose Gaasyendietʻha

[302] as chief of all the people of the world above and below. All

agreed to this choice, and Gaasyendietʻha himself was willing. When

this was done they had to select a second chief. Another year was

passed in talking. Tsodiqgwadon sat in the midst of the vast throng,

listening all the time. At last Hinon was chosen as the second chief.

Then Tsodiqgwadon said, “Who shall be chief of each locality?” Then

each tribe sat together, talking among themselves. The first to

complete their deliberations were the Stone Coats,303 who chose Ongwe

Hanyos,304 one of their own people. The Ongwehonwe were the next; they

chose one of their principal men, and the other peoples chose the same

chiefs as they had before. Tsodiqgwadon was chosen chief of the Snake

People only. The council then closed and all went to their homes.

LEGENDS

59. GENONSGWA [305]

Once there was a village in which it was the custom of the people to

fight a great deal, for they were very warlike. A strange boy came to

this village; he was small and perhaps 4 years old. No one knew whence

he came. He could do nothing for himself, but he wandered around the

village, staying here and there in the several lodges. First one family

then another would keep him for a little while. The people did not care

much for him, nor pay much attention to him. Finally he grew to be a

young man. There was at this time a good deal of talk among the people

about getting up a party to go on the warpath. At last 20 men were

found who were willing to go. This young man, hearing about the party,

asked permission to go, too. He asked one and then another, but all

refused his request. Thereupon he said: “I do not care. I will go

anyhow.” He was so peculiar that no one really liked him.

The 20 warriors started and he went along with them. When night came,

fires were built; there were two men at each fire, but the boy built a

fire for himself. Several days passed in this way. One night, however,

when all were asleep, the young man had a dream. A man appeared to him,

who said: “I have come to warn you that if you do not change your

course somewhat you shall all perish tomorrow at noon. Tell this to the

headman of the party and urge him to change his course.” They were then

going northward. The boy told his dream the next morning to the

headman, who scolded, saying: “I did not want this fellow; he is

nothing but a hindrance, nothing but a coward. We have come to meet an

enemy. Why should we turn back even if we know there is one in our

path?” So, after eating their morning meal, they continued northward,

paying no heed to the warning in the young man’s dream.

When the sun was near the middle of his path across the sky, the party,

which was going in Indian file, noticed that the headman stopped, then

the next one, then the next. The boy, who brought up the rear, found

that they were looking at a track, saying: “It is Ganiagwaihegowa,

which always kills the people it meets. Its magic power is so great

that the instant anyone looks at its tracks, no matter how far off,

Ganiagwaihegowa knows it, and returns to destroy that person.” As the

boy listened, he said: “I am very anxious to see this bear. I have

never seen such a thing.” The men said, “You do not want to see so

terrible a thing;” but he insisted. The chief said: “If this is really

your wish, you must not follow us. We shall turn off here and go in a

different direction, and you can go on northward; but if you meet this

bear you must run in some direction, some course different from ours.”

They tried to make him go with them, but he would not do so.

Breaking a small tree that stood near, the young man hung his bundle in

the crotch; then he went on. Soon he saw a tremendous object ahead of

him; when near it, he recognized it as a great bear, sitting on the

trail, with its back toward him. Creeping up, the young man stood

looking at it. It had no hair on its body, only a little on the end of

its tail.[306] He struck it with his arrow, whereupon the bear rushed

after the youngster, who ran away. The bear drew so near as they ran

that the youngster could feel its breath. Now he dodged from tree to

tree, then, darting off straight, he ran on swiftly, with the bear

close behind him, until he came to a stream which looked very deep.

They two could just jump over it. So the youngster sprang across, and

the bear leaped after him. Then the youngster sprang back to the other

side and the bear did the same. Thus they jumped across many times. Now

as the young man ran he felt that his strength was growing greater,

while he saw that that of the bear was failing. Seeing the bear failing

fast, the youth, making a great loop, sprang once more across the

stream, with the bear after him. Then he made a loop on the other side,

and on going across the river, he saw the bear still weakening.

Pursuing the same course once again, he passed the bear about the

middle of the stream—he going one way, and the bear the other. The bear

did not follow by sight but by scent alone. Lastly, the bear did not

cross the stream, but followed all the boy’s tracks. Now, the beast had

failed so much that the youth was just behind it as it kept tracking

him. As the bear almost failed in trying to jump across the river, it

scrambled to get a footing. Then the boy shot from the bank behind, the

arrow entering the middle of one of the animal’s forefeet.307 At this

the great bear scrambled to the bank; then reeling from tree to tree,

it staggered and fell. Rising again, the beast struggled for a time,

but at last it rolled over dead.

The young man left the bear’s carcass after he had taken three hairs

from its “whiskers” and one tooth out of its mouth. Then going back to

the spot where he had left his bundle and getting it, he followed the

trail of the twenty men. Running fast, he overtook them, whereupon he

said, “I have killed Ganiagwaihegowa, of which you were so much

afraid.” They were naturally greatly astonished, for no man had ever

been able to kill this creature, so they said: “If he has done this, he

must have great orenda. Let us go back and see.” So they turned back,

and after traveling until sunset they came to the place where the body

of Ganiagwaihegowa lay. They saw that it was of enormous size, and

said: “We will burn up the body; we will keep up the fire all night

until it is burned. Then each man shall take a little of the ashes and

a few of the bones, just enough for medicine to give him its magical

power.” After the fire had gone out, the men went to sleep; in the

latter part of the night they stirred the ashes with sticks until each

found a piece of bone. The chief said: “You must be very careful about

taking the remnants of this bear. Let each one before taking up his

bone say what gift he wants, what power he desires.” Most of the men

desired to be good hunters and brave warriors and some to be fast

runners. One man said, however, “I want to be admired by all women.”

The things the young man had chosen were good for every purpose, but he

did not let the others know that he had taken anything. The headman

said, “We will go on in the same direction; that is, toward the north.”

The men had changed their opinion of the young man; they now looked on

him with respect as a person of great magical powers. The party

traveled many days.

One night they camped and lay down to sleep. The young man dreamed

again, and his dream said: “Tomorrow at noon you will meet an enemy of

greater number than your own party, and among them will be a very large

man of great magic power; he is so much larger than the rest that you

will easily know him. You must all fight him. If your party does not

believe you, when you tell the dream to them, do not mind that, but

keep on in the same direction you are going, and at noon they will know

the truth. When you see the enemy let every man hang up his bundle; let

no one keep his bundle. Then begin to fight, and keep on until you

conquer.” In the morning the young man did not tell his dream. He

thought that it was useless to do so. They started on after eating

their morning meal. When the sun was well up in the sky, they saw a

bear get up, stretch himself, and look at them, saying, “We have now

met, and we shall get what we want.” Thereupon the bear turned and

disappeared. It was evidently one of the enemy, who had come to warn

them. The headman talked to his men, saying that the enemy was probably

near, and that they should be of good courage, and that they would

conquer the enemy. So they went on. Before very long they saw the

enemy, and the enemy saw them. A war whoop was heard; then the arrows

began to fly. The young man said: “Now let every man hang up his bundle

on the tree.” After this was done, the fight began. The young man,

remembering his dream, watched for the large man. Soon he saw him, and

noticed that he had a sort of medicine which he held up in front of his

face like a shield, a little to one side, to ward off the arrows. The

young man also saw that the man’s defense was larger [308] than the one

he himself had (it was known that the smaller it was, the more power it

possessed), and the youth felt sure of success when he became aware of

this fact. (The magic power, or orenda, was born with the boy, as it

was with all the Genonsgwas—a tiny hand to be put in the palm of his

own hand.) Just at that moment the large man of the enemy, discovering

the young man, said: “You will get what you deserve now, you Stone

Coat. I will kill you, and thus punish you (for treachery).” They

watched each other, paying no attention to the rest of the people, for

each was eager to kill the other, but they could not hit until they

came hand to hand. They began to strike with clubs and made a terrible

fight.

Finally, the young man, snatching the stranger’s club, hurled it away

and threw him down. When the enemy saw their chief man overpowered,

they began to run. The youth kept on until he had killed the big man. A

large number of the enemy were killed, but not one of the 20 men was

injured. Having piled up the dead of the enemy, they burned them. The

victors secured a great string of scalps (the big man was not a

Genonsgwa; he was merely a very large and strong man with magical

powers).

The warriors now had great respect for the young man, and when they

came home and told everything, the respect of the people increased so

that he was made a chief. The people thought of him as a Genonsgwa,

though he did not look like one; they remembered only the big man’s

words.

Now, another expedition was spoken of and many volunteered, but only 30

were taken, for that was as large a party as was required. All were

ready. The women had provisions prepared for them. Starting out, they

went toward the north, as before.

On the third night the young man, now a chief, dreamed that some one

came to him, saying: “Tomorrow night when you camp the enemy will be

camped near by, and you will discover each other. (It was not the

custom of Indians in those days to attack in the night, but always just

at daybreak.) Now be you ready, all of you, as soon as daylight is

dawning and attack the enemy. Be sure that you attack and not they.”

The next morning Stone Coat, the chief, told his dream (he knew the

warriors believed him then) word for word. That night when they camped,

they discovered the enemy not far away, also arranging a camp. During

the night few of the warriors slept, for they felt anxious, and some

were afraid of an attack, though it was not the rule to attack in the

night.

Toward day the chief told all to get ready. When light was dawning they

started. On stealing up they saw that the enemy also were making ready,

whereupon Stone Coat told his men to make a circle around the camp,

saying at the same time, “When we are almost around I will raise a

whoop; then let all give the war cry and attack.” The chief discovered

that the enemy had a warrior among them, who was a larger man than the

others, and saw that he had a shield to ward off arrows. Noticing that

it was about the same size as his own, he said to the men, “You must

fight desperately, for I do not know how we shall come out.” The

headman of the enemy shouted to him: “You are among these men; you are

a Stone Coat! I am determined to kill you.” (The big man had no name.

The chief did not hold up his shield.) As they came nearer and nearer

and finally met, the chief and the big man first used their peculiar

clubs. Then they grappled, and the chief of the 30, seizing his

antagonist, pulled out his arm,[309] which he threw away; but

immediately it flew back. The man in turned pulled off the chief’s arm,

hurling it away, but it flew back to its place and it was as it was

before. While they fought, the shouting of the enemy died away; once in

a while there was a shout and it could be known from the sound that the

people were being killed. Now the chief pulled off the man’s head and

tore off the flesh; then he kept kicking away the pieces as they came

back. It so happened that if the fragments of flesh could be kept away

until cool, their strength died, so that they could not come back.

Hence the chief continued to fight in this manner until at last he

killed the big man. When the fight was over, and the few of the enemy

remaining had run away, only 15 of the chief’s men were left, as 15 had

been killed. The survivors piled up the bodies, and this time they

threw earth over them, as so many of their own people were among the

dead. Then all started for home, where they remained a long time.

When the chief had reached the prime of life he said: “I am getting

well advanced in years and delight in warfare. I want to have one more

expedition, then I shall be satisfied.” People volunteered to go and 40

were made ready, for that number constituted as large a party as was

wanted. These started, going toward the south. (The people they fought

with came from the south.) The young man had a dream, in which a man

said: “I have come to tell you that you are to have a difficult time,

for a man will be among the enemy who is very powerful, and I am unable

to tell you whether you will conquer him or not. Tomorrow at noon you

will meet the enemy, and just before noon an owl will come on your

trail, saying, ‘Be ready; your enemy is at hand.’ Then you can get

ready to fight.” Having told his dream in the morning, they started on.

Toward noon they heard the hooting of an owl; it flew along their

trail, and alighting on a tree, said: “The enemy is near, and they have

made this expedition to fight, as you have. Then each of you will be

satisfied.” The chief said: “Get ready immediately. Hang up your

bundles. I do not know how we shall come out if the man keeps on

throwing me; if he throws me twice, run.” While they were hanging up

their bundles the war whoop was given by the advancing enemy. Now, as

the dream had foretold, the chief saw the strong man, and realized that

he was stronger than he was himself. As they were nearing each other,

the opposite side kept calling out: “We have come to destroy you. You

have destroyed all our other expeditions; now we will finish you.” The

chief and the strong man met and fought first with clubs. Then,

clinching, they struggled a long time. At last the chief was thrown;

then the strong man struggled to keep him down, but the chief, arising,

threw his enemy, who barely touched the ground before he was up again.

The next time the chief was thrown his men began to run, but turning to

look, they stood watching the two men fight. They saw their chief’s arm

pulled off, but it flew back into place; then his head was thrown off,

whereupon they saw he was weakening; so some ran home, but five

remained in hiding. The enemy began to walk around, gathering up the

pieces of the head, for they thought all the opposing party had run

away. The five who were concealed saw them gather the flesh and limbs

of the chief, for now they had killed him. Then the five heard the

voice of the enemy saying, “We will hold a council and give thanks for

conquering this man, who has destroyed so many of our people.” So

saying, they began to get ready to do this; they made a circle and the

pieces of the chief’s body were placed in the center. They were to give

thanks by singing the war song. A man rose and sang, and as he sang he

went toward the chief’s feet; when the song was ended he went to the

head, saying: “You have been conquered. We shall have peace now.” Then

he struck the pieces of the chief’s body with his club, saying, “Thus I

will punish you.” At that moment the pieces flew together, becoming the

chief again, who, springing up, killed five persons, and then, lying

down, fell apart. Each one of the enemy said: “I think this man did

wrong in wishing to punish a warrior after he was dead;[310] this is

why we have lost five of our men. We would better kill this man before

he brings us more bad luck”; thereupon they cut off his head. Then they

sang the war song again, but no one raised a club or other weapon

against any dead man while they were gathering up the corpses. Of the

chief’s men 10 of the 40 got home. They said: “The friend whom we

depended on is killed, and we would better remain at home hereafter and

only defend ourselves. If our enemies desire to fight, they must come

here to fight with us.” These people lived in peace after that.

60. THE GRANDMOTHER AND HER GRANDSON

An aged grandmother and her grandson lived by themselves in a lodge in

the forest. When the grandson had grown to be quite a large boy his

grandmother said to him: “Here are a bow and a quiver of arrows. They

were formerly used by your uncle, who was killed by a great witch. So

take the bow and the quiver of arrows and learn to use them.”

The next morning the grandmother said to her young charge: “Now, go out

and try to kill some birds. You may go as far as you like, but do not

go northward.” [311] Then she gave him a breakfast of parched corn,

which hunters were accustomed to eat, for on such a meal they would not

become hungry so soon as on any other kind of food. Starting out, the

young grandson went through the woods shooting birds. By the middle of

the day he decided to go home, feeling that his grandmother would be

delighted because he had killed so many birds for their meat. Having

returned to his home, the lad showed his grandmother the string of

birds which he had killed. She was much pleased with his success, and

dressed the birds, pounded corn for bread, and made hominy, in which

she cooked the birds. When these things were done they two ate their

evening meal.

The next morning the grandmother again gave her grandson parched corn

to eat, and when he had eaten she cautioned him once more against going

northward. By the middle of the day he had killed a larger string of

birds than on the previous day, so he went home to his grandmother. She

greeted him at the doorway with the words, “I thank you, grandson, for

your success, for we are well off now and shall have plenty to eat.”

That night, however, she talked seriously with him, cautioning him in

these words: “My grandson, you must always hunt only to the southward

from here. You must never go to the northward, for many dangers lurk

there which may cut us both off, for you and I are the only persons of

our family who are left from destruction by sorcery. So if you are

obedient and listen to my words of caution to you, we shall probably

live.”

The next morning after his usual breakfast of parched cornmeal the

grandson started off. On that day he went farther away than on any

previous days, and he saw many different kinds of game, such as he had

not seen before. While animals of a certain kind were feeding he

managed to get around in front of them, and taking good aim, he killed

one with an arrow. The rest of these animals escaped. He went up to the

dead game animal, and pulling out his arrow, cleaned it in the manner

in which he had been instructed by his grandmother. Then stripping off

bark from a neighboring tree and tying the game animal, so as to carry

it the more easily on his shoulders, he started for home. When he

reached the doorway of his home, he said to his grandmother, “I have

larger game this time.” She was delighted with what he had brought home

and thanked him for his prowess, saying, “This is what is called

Ohsoon.” [312] Having carefully dressed the game animal, the

grandmother, after reserving part of it for future use, cooked the

remainder. When it was cooked they sat down together and ate it, while

the grandmother continued praising her grandson.

The next morning she sent him off again, as she had done so many

mornings before. But he had to go a long way this day before he was

able to find any game. By the middle of the day, however, he again met

with an Ohsoon, which he killed. Having secured it to his body with a

bark sling, he started for home, remarking to himself, “Oh! how far

away the game animals have gone from home.”

As usual, the next morning he started off to hunt. But after he had

gone a short distance he began to think and wonder: “Why does

grandmother forbid my going to the north? Yet game is getting scarce in

the south?” Finally he came to the conclusion that he would then and

there disregard the injunction of his grandmother. So he changed his

course to the northward. Soon he found a large number of birds. But he

had not gone much farther before he heard some one call: “Hallo,

nephew! I have caught you.” Looking up, he saw a man sitting on a

resting place formed of the tops of several trees, which had been drawn

and tied together in a tuft or sheaf of branches. There the man sat as

if he were in a basket. “Well, my nephew,” he continued, “what would

you do if it should rain spears?” The young man replied, “Oh! we should

be very thankful for them, for we need some.” Then the young man ran

homeward as fast as he could. Having arrived there, grasping his

grandmother by the hand, he dragged her along with the remark, “Oh!

grandmother, we must run and hide.” She answered him, “Oh! my grandson,

you have been to the north, where I told you not to go.” But he pulled

her along as fast as she could go, until finally they came to a spring;

leaping into this, they went along underground until they came to a

rock. There they sat down and silently waited a long time. At last the

boy said: “I think that the storm is over. Let us go home now.” When

they reached home they found the lodge leveled to the ground. The poor

old grandmother said, “This, indeed, comes of your going to the

northward, where I told you not to go.” But the grandson coolly

remarked: “Never mind. Oh! grandmother, I will soon have a lodge here.”

Then walking around an area as large as he desired the lodge to be, he

exclaimed, “Let a lodge at once fill this space of ground.” Hardly had

his words died away before a lodge, complete in all its appointments,

stood there. Then the grandmother and her potent grandson entered it

and they two lived in it, more comfortable than they were before.

The next morning, after having eaten his breakfast of parched corn, the

youth again started off southward to hunt. But taking a circuitous

course, he finally headed toward the north, remarking to himself, “I

had some fun with my uncle yesterday, so I must go to see what he will

say this time.” Soon he saw so many birds and was so much occupied in

killing them that he had forgotten about the man in the sheaf of

tree-tops. Suddenly he was halted with the challenge, “Oh, nephew! I

have caught you. What would you do if I should send a shower of

stones?” The youth replied, “We should be much pleased, for my

grandmother often needs stones for pounding her corn for meal.” So

saying, the young man fled homeward. Having arrived there, he grasped

his grandmother by the arms and rushed her to the river, and then up

the river to the spring. The grandmother scolded him as they fled,

saying, “Oh! this is too bad, grandson; you have gone northward again.”

Then she would weep bitterly. At last, coming to the spring and

descending into it, they crept along until they came again to the rock

under which they took shelter before. There they sat until finally the

youth said, “I think the storm is now over; let us go home.” On

reaching home they found their lodge in ruins again. But the youth

encouraged his grandmother with comforting words and commanded the

erection of another lodge as he had done in the first instance.

The next morning after he had eaten his parched corn, he started out

again to hunt. Taking a southward course for a time, he soon turned

toward the north. As he went along he soliloquized, “I shall not hunt,

but I shall make it my business to catch my uncle.” After going some

distance farther, he called a mole, to which he said, when it came to

him: “I want you to take me to that tree yonder. You must go almost up

to the man who sits on it. After I shall have spoken to him, you must

bring me back to this place.” The mole at once agreed to aid him. By

shaking himself the youth reduced his size until he became as small as

a flea; then he got on the mole. The mole went to the foot of the tree

indicated, whereupon the youth called out, “Oh, uncle! I have caught

you.” The man looked all around but saw nothing. Again the youth

shouted, “What would you do if a whirlwind should come?” The man

pleaded, “Oh, nephew! do not be so hard on me as that.” The youth

replied, “Oh! I did not beg that way when you asked me about spears and

stones.” Then the mole ran back to the place where he had found the

youth, and the latter, assuming his natural size, ran home. Grasping

his grandmother’s arm, he rushed her to the spring. They both

disappeared in its waters, going to their shelter under the rock. The

grandmother kept scolding her grandson, saying, “It is too bad; you

have been at the north again.” There under the rock they sat until the

youth had calmed the whirlwind, when they came up out of the water.

They found the trees uprooted and their lodge in ruins. But the youth

soon had a lodge in the place of the other by merely commanding his

fetishes and walking around the space of ground, as he had previously

done.

The next morning, after his usual preparations, the youth started out

southward from his home. When out of sight of the lodge he suddenly

turned toward the north, with the remark: “I must see my uncle. I find

the trees are all uprooted, and it must be that my uncle is buried

under these fallen trees. So I can go to hunt in safety now.” After

keeping on his journey for some time he found a large number of

partridges, which he killed; then he started home. His grandmother was

pleased to see him return quietly with game. After laying aside his

weapons he remarked: “Well, grandmother, I have destroyed my uncle. He

is no longer on the tree.” The grandmother replied, warmly, “Well, you

need not think that he was alone in the world. He has a brother, who

lives in a lodge farther north.” The youth made no reply, but resolved

what he would do in the matter.

Early the next morning the young man ate his breakfast of parched

cornmeal, after which he started off, determined to find his other

uncle, who lived in a lodge. Reaching the place where the trees were

uprooted, he found his first uncle dead. But he kept on his course

until he came to an opening in the forest, in which he saw a lodge with

smoke rising from the smoke-hole. Somewhat pleased, the youth said,

“Well, I must go over there and take a look into that lodge, for that

must be the place where my second uncle lives.” Going directly to the

lodge and opening the door-flap, he peered in, and said to an old man

sitting inside, “Well, uncle, I have come to visit you.” The old man

calmly replied: “Come in, nephew. I have a rule which all who come here

to visit me follow; that is, that we must run a race across this field

and back again. We bet our heads on this race.” The youth answered,

“Well, if that is your rule, we will run the race at once.” So they

went out of doors. Drawing a mark across the opening, the old man said

to the youth: “We will run to that red post over there at the end of

this opening. If I can get back and across this line first I will cut

off your head; but if you return and cross it first you shall cut off

my head. So be ready.” At the line they stood side by side; then the

old man shouted, “Now, go!” They were off instantly and ran to the

post. When halfway back to the line the youth suddenly fell to the

ground, a sharpened deer’s horn having pierced his foot.[313] He sat

down to pull it out. Having pulled it out, he threw it far ahead, and

it came down right in the path of the old man, who had made

considerable headway while the boy was sitting down. Now the old man,

stepping on the horn, fell to the ground. While he was pulling out the

horn, the youth, passing him, crossed the line ahead of the uncle,

saying, “Oh, my uncle! I have won the race.” The uncle disputed this,

but when he found that it was of no use he begged for another smoke,

but the nephew refusing him, he subsided. The youth took out of his

pouch a sharp flint knife and, seizing his uncle’s hair, cut off his

head. Dragging the body into the lodge, he burned both lodge and body.

As the fire died out the old man’s head burst and out of it flew an

owl. Then the youth went home and told his grandmother what he had

done. But she replied, “You still have a third uncle, who is also a

great sorcerer.”

The next morning the youth started off again, this time to visit his

third uncle. On his way he passed the uprooted trees and then the

burned lodge. Keeping on, he saw some distance ahead a lodge standing

in a clearing in the forest. When he came to the edge of the woods, he

found that the opening was large and that the lodge stood on the

farther side of it. This, he thought, must be the lodge of his third

uncle. When he reached the lodge, he looked in it, saying to a man

sitting inside, “Well, uncle, I am here to visit you.” The man replied:

“Oh nephew! I am glad you have come. I have a game to play. Everyone

who comes here plays it with me. We bet our heads on the issue of the

game.” The youth replied, “Well, uncle, what is this game?” “We hide

right here in this room,” answered the uncle. “I will hide, and if you

do not find me before midday, you lose, and I will cut off your head;

but if you find me, you will win, and then you shall cut off my head.”

The youth replied, “It is well.” Then the uncle said: “Now you must lie

down here on the ground, and I will cover you with an elk skin. When I

am ready I will let you know.” Thereupon the youth lay down, but after

he had been carefully covered with the elk skin by his uncle, changing

himself into a woodtick, he got on his uncle’s neck. When the old man

said, “I am ready,” the woodtick called out, “I have found you, my

uncle.” The old man thought the voice came from behind, so he hid

again. Again the woodtick called out, “I have found you, my uncle.” The

old man looked everywhere, but he could not see his nephew; he saw no

one. Once more the old man hid and was discovered. Thus he kept on

until midday, as was his right. The old man, thinking all the time that

the youth was still under the elk skin, wondered how he could find him

so easily. He frequently ran outside to see by the sun how near midday

it was; then he would hurry back to hide. At last he decided to hide

outside the lodge, but the youth called out, “That will not do, uncle;

you said that we must hide in the lodge.” It now being nearly midday,

the old man was frightened, so with a long pole he pushed the sun off

toward the east. Then running in, he hid again. But the youth shouted,

“I have found you, my uncle.” Again the sun was nearly overhead, and

again the old man, running out, with the long pole pushed [314] the sun

toward the east and kept on hiding, but without success. He was

discovered each time. At last when the sun was directly at midday,

directly “at mid-sky,” the youth called out to his victim: “Oh, uncle!

I have found you. I have won the game.” Thereupon the old man begged

for one more smoke, but the youth, knowing his purpose, would not let

him have another. Instead, he proceeded to cut off his head; then he

dragged the old man’s body into the lodge, where he burned it. When the

flesh had burned from the head of the old man, the head burst open and

out flew an owl. Looking around this place, the youth saw large heaps

of bones of persons whom the old man, having deceived, had killed and

eaten.

Then the youth went home and told his grandmother what he had done. Her

only reply was: “My grandson, you still have a fourth uncle, who is

more evil and more potent in orenda than the others. I advise you not

to go near him, for I greatly fear that harm will come to you.” The

grandson said, “I shall not go, grandmother.”

The next morning, after eating his repast of parched cornmeal, he

started, directing his course southward. But when he was out of sight

of his lodge he changed his course toward the north. Making a circuit

around his home, he passed all three places where he had visited his

uncles, and finally came to a fourth opening with a lodge standing in

its center. Arriving at the lodge, he peeped into it; there he saw a

man who was still older than his other uncles. Making his presence

known, he said, “Well, uncle, I have come to visit you.” The old man

answered, saying: “It is well, my nephew. Come in and sit down. I have

a game which I play with all those who come to visit me. I play the

bone-dice game. Each has only one throw, and we bet our heads on the

result. So get ready.” The youth replied: “It is well, uncle; I will

play with you. I will go out for a moment, but will return in as short

a time as possible.” Going to the river bank, and seeing a flock of

ducks, the youth called them to come to him. When they did so, he said

to them: “I have a bet, and I want you to aid me with your magic power.

I desire six of you to lend me your right eyes [315] for a short time.

I will bring them back as soon as I make my throw.” At once six of the

ducks, removing their right eyes, gave them to the youth. On his way

back to the lodge the youth said to the eyes, “When the old man throws,

some of you drop into the bowl with your sight down, but when I play

you must all drop with your sights turned up.” When he entered the

lodge, he said to the old man, “We will play with my dice.” The old man

objected to the use of the dice belonging to the youth, but the latter

insisted on his right to use his own dice, as the person challenged.

They spread a deerskin on the ground, on which they placed a bowl. When

the youth had put his dice into the bowl, he asked his uncle to take

the first throw, but the old man was not willing to do so. After

disputing for some time, however, the old man shook the bowl, whereupon

the eyes, as ducks quacking as they flew, rose slowly to the

smoke-hole, and then fell back into the bowl as dice, some right side

up and others the wrong side up. Then the youth shook the bowl, and the

dice flew up as ducks, quacking loudly, and going out of the

smoke-hole, they disappeared in the clouds. The old man, as was the

custom, sat, saying: “Let there be no count. Let there be no count,”

while the youth cried out: “Let the count be five. Let the count be

five.” In a short time they heard the ducks coming in the distance, and

then they soon dropped into the dish as dice again, all being right

side up, at which the youth cried out, “I have won the game.” The old

man begged to be permitted to take one smoke more, but the nephew,

refusing him, proceeded to cut off the old man’s head with his flint

knife. Then placing the head and body of the old man in the lodge, he

set it on fire. When the head burst open, out flew an owl. Then the

youth took the six eyes back to the river, and calling up the ducks to

him, he moistened the eyes with spittle and replaced them in the heads

of the ducks. Thanking the ducks for the aid they had given him, he

dismissed them, and they flew far away.

The youth now went home, where he told his grandmother what he had

done. After hearing his story she said: “I am well pleased with what

you have done, my grandson. You can now hunt with freedom in all

directions, for there is now no one to harm you. You had a number of

brothers, but their uncles destroyed them without mercy.”

She sent him to hunt, as usual. Being now quite a man, he could kill

deer, bear, and other large game, but he had to go so far away to find

them that he always returned late at night. Not liking this, he thought

of a method by which this might be avoided. He went into the forest,

after telling his grandmother that he was tired of going so far to

hunt, that he would merely sing, and that the game would come to him.

In the forest he made arrows, and by the time night came he had as many

white-ash arrows as he could well carry.

The next morning, bringing out a deerskin, he caused his grandmother to

sit on it. Then, covering her head with the skin, he said to her: “Now,

you must not look out. If you do I shall leave here, never to return.”

First, placing the great bundle of arrows on the ground outside the

lodge, he began to sing: “Come to me, you elk. Come to me, you bears.

Come to me, you raccoons. Come to me, you deer.” As he stood singing,

soon there arose a great commotion in the forest, caused by the sound

of many feet running toward the singer. The animals were coming from

every direction. As they were drawn near him by his singing he began to

shoot his arrows. When he had shot away about half of his arrows, and

while the animals were near him—bears, raccoons, deer, and elk—and

while hedgehogs were climbing the lodge roof, the grandmother, becoming

frightened at the strange sounds, removing the buckskin covering from

her head, looked up through the smoke-hole to see what was the cause of

the tumult. In an instant a great white deer sprang over the other

animals, and, taking the youth on his antlers, ran off with him into

the forest.[316] All the other animals followed the man, who was

singing as they ran. Then the grandmother rushed to the doorway, and,

looking out, saw all the game killed, but she did not see her grandson

anywhere. Then she remembered his words, but it was too late.

While the great white deer was rushing through the forest a pack of

black wolves came upon its tracks, and, soon overtaking it, killed both

it and the man. The next morning the aged grandmother, in an attempt to

repair the damage done through her lapse of memory and great curiosity,

followed the tracks of the game in order to find her grandson. The game

had beaten a broad trail through the forest as they ran. In the

afternoon of the day the youth disappeared the sky and clouds in the

west appeared very red.[317] Seeing this, the grandmother exclaimed:

“This is certainly an evil sign. My grandson is surely in trouble.”

This was the very time at which the great white deer and the man were

killed. The grandmother followed the trail all that day until the

evening at about the time she had seen the red sky and clouds the day

before. Then she came on the spot where her grandson and the deer had

been killed. There she saw pieces of bloody deerskin, but not a bone,

nor a bit of his body. Then she returned home in despair, weeping all

the way.

61. HEART SQUEEZING AND THE DANCE OF NAKED PERSONS

A woman and her son lived together in a lodge situated not far from a

small settlement. The boy began his career by hunting small game, but

he soon killed such large game that everyone was astonished at his

prowess. As he grew older, he went farther and farther into the woods.

His mother, however, always warned him against going toward the

northeast, saying that an evil woman lived there.

One day while hunting the boy thought, “I do not believe there is

anyone who can overcome me magically,” whereupon he determined to go

toward the northeast. Starting thither, he soon came to an opening,

where he saw a woman who sang out, “I have caught you, my brother,” and

at that moment the boy, feeling her in his body squeezing his heart,

screamed with pain. Then the woman stopped an instant and then squeezed

his heart harder than before, causing him intense pain. Just then he

heard a woman’s voice say, “Hurry home, and as you go, sing, ‘I am

going to have a naked dance [318] and a pot.’” The young man did this,

and as he sang he felt easier. When he got home his mother said, “You

have been toward the northeast, although I told you that you would get

into trouble if you went there.” The mother immediately sent a

messenger to tell her uncle, her mother’s brother, what had happened,

and he inquired what the boy sang. The messenger told him, and he

replied, “Tell his mother to notify everyone that she is going to have

a dance of naked persons.”

All the people were notified accordingly. The old man came, and one by

one all the rest assembled. Then the old man asked whether all the

guests were there who had been invited. The woman, the youth’s mother,

after looking around, said, “Yes.” Telling the people to take off their

garments, and to dance facing the wall, the old man, seating himself in

the center of the room, began to sing. When he had finished the song,

he said, “That will do.” Thereupon the dance broke up, the people

dressing themselves and going home.

The young man felt better, but he was angry with the woman who had

tormented him; so he decided to go again and say to her, “I have caught

you,” before she had time to say it. The next morning he started off

without telling his mother where he was going. When near the opening,

halting, he called for a mole. In a short time the mole came, whereupon

the boy said, “You must carry me to the spot where the woman is, but

she must not see us.” Reducing his size until he was quite small, the

young man entered the body of the mole, which went beneath the surface

of the ground. After a while they peeped out, but the woman was still

far off. They went on again, and when they looked out a second time,

they were quite near the woman. She had large eyes, twice as large as

those of anyone else, which were red as blood, and whenever she said,

“I have caught you,” nothing had power over her.

The boy told the mole to go underground, so as to come out just beneath

her feet. The mole did so, and then the boy, exclaiming, “I have caught

you!” at that instant going into her body, squeezed her heart. She

cried out with pain, “Do not squeeze so hard.” He answered, “I did not

say, ‘Do not squeeze so hard,’ when you squeezed my heart.” Thereupon

the woman hurried home. When near home she saw that her sisters were

pounding corn for bread, and they noticed that she was crying, so one

of them said, “I told you that that young man could not be beaten; you

should not have touched him.”

One of the sisters, going to the same old man who had cured the boy,

said, “Uncle, our youngest sister is very sick; she is singing, ‘I am

going to have a dance of naked persons and a pot.’” The old man told

her to invite the people to her pot. She did so, and when they were

assembled the dance began. At the moment the old man said, “My song is

finished,” the young man squeezed the girl’s heart so hard that she

fell down dead. Coming out of her body, the young man went some

distance before he became visible. He went home and was tormented no

more. He could now hunt in any direction.

62. HOTʻHO, THE WINTER GOD [319]

One day a man while out hunting met Hotʻho and said to him, “You can

not make me freeze, no matter how cold you can make it.” Hotʻho

replied, “I can do that without much trouble.” They had a long

discussion of the matter and at last agreed that they would have that

night a trial of strength.

After reaching home the man carried in wood enough to burn all night;

then building a huge fire, he made a large kettle full of hemlock tea.

When night came he stood before the fire ready for the contest. All

night long there he stood, turning first one side and then the other to

the fire and often drinking a cup of the boiling hemlock tea. It was a

terribly cold night and continued to grow colder until near morning.

Just at the break of day Hotʻho, naked, and carrying his hatchet in a

slit in the skin above his hip, came into the lodge, and sitting down

on a pile of bark by the fire, said to the man, “You have beaten me;”

and at that moment, growing warmer, it began to thaw.

This shows that man can conquer Hotʻho, the god of cold weather.

63. SʻHAGODIYOWEQGOWA AND HIS THREE BROTHERS [320]

There lived in a lodge in the forest Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa and three

brothers. In their larder they had an abundance of oil, venison, and

bear’s meat. Of the brothers Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa was the eldest. Not far

from their lodge lived a brother and his sister. The brother, who was

the elder, was also a turtle.

One day the youngest brother of Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa said to his brothers,

“I am going over to the lodge where the Turtle lives.” His brothers,

knowing the motive of the visit, replied: “It is well. You may go,” for

they thought it best that he should get married. So after making

suitable preparations, he started, and soon he arrived at the lodge of

their neighbors. He found the Turtle’s sister at home. The visitor had

slung over his shoulder a pouch that contained bear’s oil. Sitting down

near Turtle’s sister, he said to her, “I want to marry you,” but she

made him no answer nor any sign of recognition. While he sat there

waiting for her reply, he would dip his finger into the pouch on his

back, afterward sucking off the oil. He patiently waited all day for

her reply, and when it was nearly night she answered, “I have decided

not to marry you.” He did not press his suit, but said, “It is well;”

then he went to his home. Having arrived there, his brothers asked him

what success he had, and he told them. They answered, “It is well.”

Then the next elder brother said, “It must be I about whom she is

thinking.” The next morning he said, “I shall now go there;” so he

started. He found the sister of Turtle at home, and sitting down beside

her, he said: “I have come for the purpose of marrying you. Will you

consent to be my wife?” Like his younger brother, he waited the entire

day for her reply. When it was nearly night she made him the same

answer as she had given his brother; he then went home. Having reached

there, his brothers asked him what success he had, and he told them.

They answered, “It is well.” Then the third brother said, “It must be I

of whom she is thinking. I shall go there tomorrow.” So the next

morning he went to the lodge of Turtle, and finding the sister at home,

he sat down beside her, saying, “I am here to know whether we can

become man and wife.” She acted toward him just as she had toward his

brothers; so he returned to his home, where he related to them how she

had answered him.

Then Turtle, her brother, said: “I think that we are now about to die.

The next man who will come is Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa, the eldest of the four

brothers. You have made a great mistake. You should have accepted the

youngest brother. I would have consented had you asked me. The youngest

brother is a good man, and he possesses great orenda. But the time is

now past. Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa has volunteered to come to ask you tomorrow

to be his wife.”

The next morning Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa, saying to his brothers, “It has

become evident that it is I of whom she is thinking,” started to call

on her at the lodge of Turtle. Finding her at home, he said, “My wife,

I have come after you, so you must go home with me;” thereupon, seizing

her arm, he attempted to pull her along with him. Being very angry, she

bitterly resisted him. Turtle, her brother, was at one end of the fire,

concealed under the ashes. While Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa was struggling with

the young woman as he held her by the arm, she managed her defense in

such manner as to cause her captor to step on her brother, who at once

bit his toe, causing him to release her. Then Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa said,

“Brother-in-law, let go of my toe,” but Turtle still hung to it. At

that moment the visitor, taking his staff and putting his foot on the

end of the firelog, struck Turtle on the head with the staff. As he did

so, Turtle at once grew magically in size and in the strength of his

bite. As Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa struck him again Turtle increased in size as

before and his bite grew more painful. But Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa kept on

pounding him, seemingly unaware that Turtle’s size increased with his

blows. Turtle continued to grow larger and larger and continued drawing

in Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa until he had swallowed his entire body.

Two days later Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa came away, passing through Turtle’s

bowels. Thereupon Turtle said to his sister: “In 10 [321] days

Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa will regain his consciousness, and then he will

pursue us. To run away is our only safety; so let us flee hence.”

Placing him in a basket, which she put on her back, Turtle’s sister

started away as fast as she could go.

After the expiration of 10 days, as Turtle had predicted,

Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa regained consciousness and, looking around, saw no

one there. Then finding the young woman’s tracks, he pursued her. The

fugitives had gone a long way when Turtle said to his sister,

“Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa is fast overtaking us and is now near us.” So the

sister kept on in her flight, and as she got over a fallen tree Turtle

said to her, “Leave me here, and you continue your course.” Obeying her

brother, she hastened on her way.

Not long after her departure Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa came along. As he walked

over the fallen tree he stepped on Turtle without seeing him, whereupon

Turtle promptly bit him again. At this Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa exclaimed,

“Brother-in-law! let go of my foot; you are greatly delaying me on my

course.” But as Turtle gave no heed to what his brother-in-law had said

to him, Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa decided to kill him, and raising his foot

with Turtle hanging to it, he beat him against the fallen tree. But as

before, striking Turtle only caused him to grow in size, until he

finally became large enough to swallow his enemy again. Turtle waited

there for two days until he had excreted Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa; then he

started on his way again. While the sister was walking along she was

surprised to find her brother, Turtle, on a fallen tree. He had arrived

there ahead of her by means of his orenda.

After the expiration of 10 days Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa regained

consciousness, and arising, said to himself, “I have now been asleep a

very long time and must continue my hunt”; so saying, he started in

pursuit once more. The young woman was now growing faint and exhausted,

and her brother said to her as she carried him along in the basket:

“Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa is again overtaking us, and is now very near to us.

Once more drop me by the first fallen tree that we come to.” She obeyed

and, leaving her brother near a fallen tree, kept on her way.

When Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa came along in due time the orenda of Turtle

caused him to pass within reach of the latter, who again seized his

foot in his teeth. At this Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa said to his

brother-in-law, “You are indeed hindering me greatly in my journey, so

let go of my foot,” but Turtle paid no attention to this remonstrance.

So Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa decided again to beat him to death against the

fallen tree. So he began to do this, but Turtle only grew in size until

he was again able to swallow his brother-in-law. Turtle waited there

for two days, and then having gotten rid of Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa as

before, he went on in his flight.

At the expiration of 10 days Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa, on regaining

consciousness, said to himself, “I have now been asleep a very long

time, and I must continue my hunt”; so he resumed at once pursuit of

Turtle and his sister. In time the young woman again grew faint and

exhausted, so her brother said to her as she carried him along in a

basket: “Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa is again overtaking us and is now quite near

us. Still again drop me beside the first fallen tree to which you come

on our way.” She was willing to obey him, so she did as he said, and

kept on her way. Once more, when Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa came along, Turtle,

by means of his orenda, causing his adversary to pass within reach of

his teeth, again seized him by the foot. Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa thereupon

said to his brother-in-law, “You are indeed greatly hindering me from

continuing my journey in peace; so let go of my foot.” But Turtle did

not free him, holding fast to his foot. Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa therefore

decided to kill him. Raising his foot with Turtle hanging to it, he

beat Turtle against the fallen tree; but as he beat him, Turtle grew so

rapidly in size that he was soon large enough to swallow him again.

Then Turtle waited there two entire days, and when he had excreted

Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa he continued his journey.

At the expiration of 10 days, when Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa had again regained

consciousness, he arose, saying, “I have been sleeping now a long time

and must continue my journey”; so he once more resumed his pursuit of

Turtle and his sister. When Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa was again overtaking the

woman, and while she was running onward, she saw a light ahead, which

seemed to indicate that there might be an opening there. But she soon

learned that this was a lake; and, having arrived on its shore, she

looked over the water but could see nothing on the farther side. So she

said to herself, “It seems that I have got to die; therefore I might as

well die here.” With this remark she seated herself on a stone.

In a short time Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa reached her, and seeing her sitting

there, he exclaimed, “My wife, you are waiting for me,” and he seemed

to be very glad. He took out his pouch, from which he obtained a

quantity of tobacco; this he began to burn as an offering to the stone

on which the young woman was seated. Moreover, he addressed the stone,

saying, “I thank you, because you have been the cause that has made my

wife wait for me here.” He kept on thanking the stone as he went back

toward the forest, also burning tobacco to the other stones.

Just then a man arose out of the waters of the lake, and addressing

himself to the young woman, said, “Be quick! Come with me!” She

immediately followed him into the water. When Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa turned

toward the lake again, he saw at once that the woman was gone; all he

found were her tracks, which led into the water.

Now, the strange man and the young woman soon came to a lodge in the

depths, which they entered. The strange man had a sister, who lived in

the lodge. The young woman hung up her basket, which contained Turtle.

Whenever she ate anything she would drop pieces of food into the basket

for her brother, Turtle. Noticing this, the young man’s sister said,

“Why do you place food in there?” The young woman replied, “My brother

is in there; that is why I place food there.” Then came the question,

“Can I see him?” The newly arrived woman said: “Wait two days, and you

can see him; then he will come out as a full-fledged man. He shall be a

Turtle no longer.” This lodge was situated at the bottom of the lake.

The young woman’s brother did come out a full-grown man. Afterward he

lived with the strange man’s sister as her husband, and his sister

became the wife of the strange man who had rescued her from

Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa on the shore of the lake.

[It is not known by the story-teller who this man and his sister were,

nor who the four brothers were, with the exception of one,

Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa. These four brothers are Whirlwinds.—Editor.]

64. THE MOOSE WIFE

A young man living alone with his mother concluded to go into the

forest to hunt for a whole year, collecting and drying meat, and

intending at the end of that period to return to visit his mother. So

he traveled a long way into the forest to a region in which he thought

there was plenty of deer and other game. There, having built a cabin,

he began housekeeping by himself. His daily routine was to make a fire,

get breakfast, and then start off to hunt. He would stay away hunting

all day. Often when he got home at night he was so tired that he would

not take the trouble to prepare supper, but throwing himself on his

couch, he would go to sleep. He was collecting a great quantity of

cured meat.

One evening when he was returning from a long tramp he saw as he neared

his cabin smoke issuing from the smoke-hole in the roof. At this he

became greatly troubled, for he thought that the fire may have spread

and ignited his lodge. Running into the lodge as quickly as possible,

what was his surprise to find a bright fire burning in the fire-pit,

and his kettle, which had been suffered to boil, hanging on the crook

in such a way as to keep its contents hot. He wondered who had come to

cook for him, for during the time he had lived there and during his

journeys he had never found a cabin, nor had he seen a human being. He

searched all around to see whether he could find a trace of a person’s

visit. He saw that the deer he had brought home the evening before was

dressed and hung up, that a pile of wood that he had cut had been

brought in, that everything had been put in order, and that even corn

bread had been made. On the way home he had thought of going to bed the

moment he set foot in the cabin, so he was greatly rejoiced to find a

warm supper awaiting him. He sat down and ate the supper,

soliloquizing, “Surely the person who got this ready will come back,”

but no one came.

The next morning he started as usual to hunt. When he returned in the

evening he looked to see whether smoke was coming out of the smoke-hole

of his cabin. There was smoke issuing from it, and again he found

supper ready for him. On discovering a partially finished braid of

fibers of bark, he knew that a woman had been at work. He saw,

moreover, that she had also put a large number of his green deerskins

to soak, preparatory to making buckskin. Thereupon he thought how good

she was, and he resolved to see her, whomsoever she might be, even if

he had to give up hunting in order to do so.

In the morning he started off as though he were going to hunt, but went

only a short way into the woods to a place whence he could watch the

cabin. He had built no fire that morning, so that he might be able to

tell the moment smoke began to rise from the lodge. Stealthily creeping

back toward his home, he soon saw smoke rising from the cabin. As he

drew nearer, he saw what to him was a woman come out of the lodge and

take up an armful of wood. When she went into the lodge he followed her

as quickly as possible. There he found a beautiful young woman, to whom

he said: “You have been very kind to me, and I am very thankful to

you.” She said in reply, “I knew you were starving for lack of a

woman’s aid, so I came to see whether you would take me as your wife.”

He accepted her offer, for he was very happy that she was willing to

remain. She never left him after that. Every day she tanned the

deerskins and cooked for him, working hard all the time. His wife was

beautiful and he loved her dearly.

Before the end of a year a boy was born to them, and they were

perfectly happy. When the time was near to fulfill his promise to visit

his mother, she said to him: “I know you promised to visit your mother,

and the time is now here. I have everything ready for you. I have made

moccasins for you and for your mother.” He said in reply, “I wonder how

I can carry her some meat, for she lives a long way off.” “You have

only to choose the meat you want,” she replied; “I know how you can

carry it.” He decided to take some of every kind. She warned him to be

true and faithful to her while away, for many women when they saw what

a good hunter he was would ask him of his mother. She said: “You must

be true to me as I will be to you. You must never yield to temptation,

for I shall know if you do, and you will never see me again.” He

promised her everything she asked. Early the next morning she asked him

to go to the river with her; it was not far from the cabin. She knew

how he came, and that he would reach his mother’s home sooner by going

on the river. When they reached the bank, she took out of her bosom a

tiny canoe. He wondered what she was going to do with so little a

plaything. She told him to take hold of one end and to pull away from

her. On doing so, the canoe stretched out until it was a very large

one. Then they brought on their backs basketful after basketful of

meat, which they packed away in the canoe. Giving him a package, she

said: “I have made these moccasins for your mother. Here is another

package for you. I wish you to put on a pair every morning, throwing

away the old ones.”

He promised to return in the fall, and then they parted. When he

reached his mother’s lodge the news spread that a certain woman’s son

had returned after a year’s hunting, and many came to see him and the

great amount of meat he had brought. He did not tell even his mother

that he was married, and many young girls asked for him as a husband.

His mother had a beautiful girl in view for him, and continually urged

him to marry her, but he would not consent. After a while he said to

his mother: “I am going to the woods again. I have a cabin there, and

sometime you will know why I do not wish to marry.” So saying, he

started off.

When he reached the river he shook his boat as his wife had instructed

him to do, whereupon it again stretched out. Getting aboard, he started

up the river. When he neared his cabin, he saw his wife waiting for him

and his little boy running around at play and they were very happy

again. She told him she loved him better than ever, for he had

withstood temptation.

Another year passed. They had all the meat they could take care of, and

another boy had been born to them.

Again she got him ready to carry meat to his mother, just as she had

done before. She seemed, however, to feel that this time he would yield

to temptation, so she said to him: “If you marry another woman, you

will never see me again, but if you love me and your children, you will

be true to us and come back. If you are not true, I shall not be

surprised if your new wife will soon be sucking her moccasins from

hunger, for your magic power or orenda for hunting will vanish.” He

promised her everything.

As before, on reaching home his fame as a hunter brought many beautiful

girls to ask for him in marriage. Again his mother urged him to marry,

and the temptation to yield then was far greater than the first time,

but he resisted and was ready to start for his cabin, when one day a

beautiful stranger, appearing in the village, came to his mother’s

lodge. The mother urged him to marry her, as she was so lovely, and he

finally yielded.

The wife in the woods, knowing the conditions, said: “Now children, we

must be getting ready to go away. Your father does not love us and will

never come back to us.” Though the children were troubled by their

mother’s tears, still they were full of play and fun, but the poor

mother was always weeping while preparing to leave her home.

After the man had taken a second wife, the meat in his lodge began to

fall away strangely. He could almost see it disappear, though there was

a good supply when he married. In a few days but little was left. He

went hunting but could kill nothing; he went day after day, but always

had the same ill luck, for he had lost his magic power (orenda) for

hunting, as his wife had foretold. One day when he came home from

hunting, he found his new wife sucking her moccasin, for she was

famishing with hunger. He cried and sobbed, saying, “This is my

punishment; she warned me that this would happen if I was untrue to

her.” Thereupon he decided to go back to his first wife and children at

once and never to leave them again.

He set out without saying a word to the starving wife or to his anxious

mother. When he reached his cabin not a single footprint was to be

seen. He went in, but only to find it empty—wife and children were not

there, nor any meat, but their worn moccasins were hanging up. The

sight of these made him very sad. As he was nearly starved, he searched

everywhere for food. On the hearth he found three small mounds of

ashes, of different sizes, the third being very small. Sitting down, he

wondered what this could mean, for he knew that it must have been left

by his wife as a sign to him should he ever come to the cabin. At last

he made up his mind that he had three children now, and he determined

to find them even if he had to follow them to the end of the world.

He mused, “My boys are very playful, and as they followed their mother

they must have hacked the trees as they went.” Indeed, as the mother

and the boys were starting away, the boys said, “We will make some

sign, so that if our father ever thinks of us and comes back, he will

be able to follow us.” But the mother said: “No, children, you must

not; he will never come, for he has another wife, and will never think

of his children in the woods.” Nevertheless, as they went on and played

by the way, the boys hacked the trees and shot arrows in sport, so the

father was soon able to trace them. He found that after a day’s journey

they had camped for the night, for he discovered the remains of a fire,

and on a tree nearby, four pairs of worn-out moccasins. Tying these in

a bundle, he hung it on his arm.

Again he walked all day, finally coming to the remains of a fire, near

which he saw four pairs of worn moccasins hanging up as before. He was

very tired and hungry.

The next morning he traveled on and, as before, found the remains of a

fire and four pairs of worn moccasins hanging on a tree. He always took

these with him. Near noon the next day he saw smoke in the distance,

seeming to rise from a cabin, and so it proved to be. He saw also two

boys playing around, running, and shooting arrows; on seeing him they

ran to tell their mother that a man was coming. On looking out, she

recognized her husband, whereupon she told the boys to stay inside the

lodge. He had not recognized the children as his sons, but supposed

they belonged to people living in the cabin.

As he was very hungry and tired, he thought he would go in and ask for

food. The woman turned her back as he entered, but the eldest boy,

recognizing his father, ran to him and put his hand on his knee. The

father, however, not recognizing the child, gently pushed his hand

away. At this moment the mother, turning around, saw this action.

“There,” she said, “I told you to keep away from him, for he does not

love you.” Now the man, recognizing his wife, cried out, begging her to

forgive him and to receive him home again. He seemed to be sorry, and

begged so hard that she forgave him and brought him his little

daughter, born after he had gone away. Ever afterward he was true to

his Moose wife (for she was a Moose woman), and never again left his

home in the woods. He and his little family were always very happy.

65. SʻHAGODIYOWEQGOWA

[Modern]

A number of Indians traveling northward from their village met a

Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa, with whom they talked. He said, “Hawenniyo caused me

to be around to assist you.” His mouth was drawn up on one side and

down on the other. Continuing, he said: “If anyone mocks us in earnest,

we will enchant him by sorcery. You may go to work making a mask

representing a face like mine, and then you can cure by means of it the

sick who are troubled by us, the Sʻhagodiyoweqgowa. In this way you may

take my place.” So the people made wooden masks, to be used as

directed. This, it is said, is the origin of the Society of False

Faces, or Maskers, so prominent among the Seneca.[322]

66. THE PORCUPINE’S GRANDSON AND THE BEAR

A widower, who had a small son, married a second time. Soon after this

event he took his wife and child into the forest to hunt. They lived

very happily until the new wife began to think that her husband loved

his child better than he did her. This troubled her beyond measure, so

that she became very uneasy, thinking of nothing else. Then she began

to study how to get rid of the boy, and at last resolved to destroy

him.

So one day while her husband was out hunting, she took the boy into the

woods to a cave, whose mouth was closed with a rock. She rolled away

the stone from in front of the opening, at the same time telling the

boy that there were bears in the cave, and that he must run in and

scare them, so that they would run out at the other end. He crept in,

and immediately the woman rolled the stone back over its mouth, and

then deserted him.

When night came the father returned from hunting, and immediately

missing his boy, asked where he was. The woman answered that he was at

play when she went to gather bark, and that when she came home she

could not find him, asserting further that she had been hunting in all

directions for him, and that she was afraid he had been carried off by

some wild beast. The father was nearly crazed by this event, and for

many days hunted for his boy, but he could find only the tracks made by

his little moccasins far into the woods—tracks which the wicked

stepmother had (artificially) made to mislead and deceive the father.

When the child found himself fastened in the cave he began to scream

and cry, and his strength was giving way and he was near fainting when

he thought he heard a voice saying: “Poor child, stop crying! I am your

grandmother. I will give you food.” This was a Mother Porcupine. Wiping

away his tears with her paw, she brought him food, which he thought was

very good, though it was only hemlock burs. She gave him some of the

food which she had saved for herself. After eating he was contented,

whereupon she said, “You are very tired, my dear little grandson; come

and lie down.” In this way she fed and cared for him a long time.

One day she said: “My stock of food is exhausted, and as it is now

spring, we should not be cold out of doors. Your stepmother has

fastened us in here. I must call on our neighbors to let us out, and

when we are out, I will leave you in their care and go in search of

food for myself.” Approaching the opening, the Porcupine called aloud

for help. Afterward the boy thought they went back into the cave, and

the Porcupine said: “My dear grandson, we must now part. I feel very

sad but it can not be avoided. I will give you this advice. They will

come and let us out, and you will go with them. You must be obedient

and do just as you are told to do, and all will be well in the end.”

Soon they heard noises with the sound of voices outside the cave, and

after a while a great crowd seemed to be collected. The imprisoned ones

heard the chief of the assembly say: “All who heard the call have

come.[323] Now we want to know who will roll the stone away?” Birds

came and pecked at it in vain; they could do nothing. Then the smaller

animals scratched at it. One after another failed. At last a wolf came

forward, saying, “I can pull the stone away; I am the man to do it.”

Pushing his long claws under it, he pulled and pulled, until at length

he exerted so much strength that his hold gave way and he fell over on

his back. Then the deer tried with his long horns to raise the stone.

All tried, every one in his own way, from the smallest to the largest

animal (for all were present that had heard the call), except the

she-bear; she sat at a short distance with her little family around

her, consisting of three young cubs. When all the rest had failed, she

said, “Well, I will try.” Walking up slowly and majestically to the

blocking stone, she examined the scratches made by the other animals

until she made up her mind how to act, and then she very quickly got

the stone away. Then peeping in, she saw a Porcupine and a human being,

whereupon she hurried away from the opening as though she was greatly

frightened. As the other animals looked in, they, too, took to their

heels until they were far enough away to make sure of escape; then they

waited to see what was to take place.

The Porcupine, coming out, told them not to be frightened. Said she,

“We are very poor, my grandson and I.” She told them further how he

came there and that her stock of food was exhausted, adding, “Many of

you are well able to care for him, so I want you to take charge of my

grandson.” All, even the birds, announced their willingness to do so.

“Now,” she continued, “I want to know what you will give him to eat,

and when I make up my mind that my grandson can live on the food that

any one of you can supply, I will give him to that one. To my faithful

friends, the birds, I give thanks; you may go, for I do not think my

grandson could live on anything you could give him.”

All had brought specimens of what they could furnish and had laid them

before the Porcupine. The wolf, coming forward, laid down what he had.

The Porcupine examined it and then asked, “What would you do in case of

danger?” “Of course we should run,” the wolf replied, thereupon running

off to show her, and then coming back. “No, my grandson can not go with

you; he could not run fast enough.” The deer came forward with the most

suitable food, but when the Porcupine asked, “What would you do in case

of danger?” the deer ran off at such speed that his horns could be

heard rattling through the woods. Last of all the old bear came

forward, saying: “You have all failed. Though I have a large family of

my own, I will take the boy and will feed him as I feed my cubs, on

blackberries, chestnuts, and fruit.” When asked what she would do in

danger, going back to her little cubs, she gave them the sign of

danger, at which they all crouched down beside a log while she lay at

their side watching. She said: “That is what I do, and thus we lie

still until I think the danger is past. I know where the berries grow

in abundance, and I will take them there. I know also where my winter

quarters will be; there my cubs will get nourishment by sucking my fat

paws.” The Porcupine then said: “You are the one to care for my

grandchild. I wish you to take good care of him. I am now going for

food.” The boy never saw the Porcupine again. The child thought the

bear took him by the hand, and that she was like a human being, and

that they were all like real people.

She led the boy and the cubs to the place where the berries and

chestnuts were abundant. They played as they went along. The young

bears became very fond of the boy. When the old mother bear was lying

asleep in the sun, and they were at play, the cubs would pull the boy’s

nails to make them long like theirs, and they tried to teach him how to

climb and run up the trees as they did. At last he was almost equal to

them in skill in these exercises, his nails having grown long and

sharp.

One day the old bear woke up and could not see the boy. At last she saw

him high up in a tree a long way off. Then she scolded her cubs and was

angry with them, and made the boy’s nails as they originally were. So

the many days of summer passed. The cubs and the boy were great friends

and they had him sleep between them and their mother.

When winter came, the old bear said, “It is time to go to our winter

quarters”; so she took them to a tall, hollow tree, into which they all

climbed, finding therein a comfortable place. Here they remained; and

the boy thought they had plenty of room. He and the cubs played

together and were very happy. The old bear slept most of the time, but

when she heard a sound she would awake instantly and would say, “You

must keep very still; there is a hunter near.” In the tree was an

opening from which she had an outlook. Soon after the warning they

would see a man coming toward the tree. Then the boy thought he saw the

mother bear, putting her paw into her pocket, draw out an object that

had two prongs. As the hunter approached she would thrust this out

through the hole, moving it to and fro until he passed; then she would

draw it in again.

All went well until one day toward spring, when the fatal moment came.

The mother bear heard a hunter approaching again and, although they all

kept very still, she said, addressing the child: “I think our time has

come; our separation is near; you can remain here, but we must go, for

we are bears, but you are a human being. They will take you out and

care for you.” Then the child and the cubs saw the hunter coming. She

put out her two-pronged bough but could do nothing; all her magic power

was gone. When the hunter came up, seeing the claw marks on the bark of

the tree, he concluded there must be bears within. The old bear knew

all was over, so she said to the eldest of her cubs, “You must go first

and the others must follow.” At this the eldest climbed up and out, and

at that instant the boy heard the twang of the bowstring and impact of

the arrow, and as he watched the little bear it seemed to throw off a

burden, which fell to the ground, while the little bear itself [324]

went straight on without stopping. Then the other little bears

followed, one and all sharing the fate of the first; each time one

emerged the boy heard the same sounds and saw the burden fall, but as

he saw the little bears still running on, he was not frightened. Then

the old bear said: “Now, I have to go. You must be good and obedient

and all will be well with you”; then she went out. He heard the same

sounds as before and saw her drop on the ground; knowing she was

killed, he began to scream. The hunter, hearing him, was astonished.

Then, remembering having heard that a child had been lost, he though it

might be the child in this tree. So he set to work to get the boy out,

and soon succeeded in doing so. He found the child naked and unable to

speak a word, having forgotten how to talk. Skinning the largest cub,

the hunter made leggings for the child from the skin. The boy was

grieved to see his companions dead and cut up, but he could not speak

to let his rescuer know how dear they were to him. The hunter took the

boy to his father, who was overjoyed to see his child again. Ever

afterward he kept the boy near himself, and in the future all was well.

67. GENONSGWA

An old woman, the eldest of her people, lived in the forest with two

grandchildren, a boy and a girl. One day while the old woman was away a

female Genonsgwa came into the lodge and picked up the younger child,

the girl. After speaking kindly to her, saying that she was a good

little thing, she swallowed her. Then she began to talk to the boy,

telling him how well he looked, and that he was wholesome, but she did

not kill him. Sitting on the bed, she told the boy that if he would get

on her back, she would take him out to find his grandmother. After

climbing on her back, he soon became frightened, whereupon he grasped

her so tightly that he became fastened to her back so that he could not

get off, though he tried hard to do so. The Genonsgwa, rising, went in

a direction different from that in which his grandmother had gone. The

boy told her of her mistake, but she said, “Oh! we shall come to the

place where she is.” The Genonsgwa went very far into the woods. The

boy began to cry for his grandmother, and cried so hard that the

Genonsgwa told him to get off her back; she did not like to hear him

cry, she said, but as she wanted to eat him, he did not get off; in

fact, he could not do so. Fortunately, the Genonsgwa could neither get

her hands around to pull him off, nor turn her head to bite him. She

could not get at him in any way. Knowing this, the boy clung to the

middle of her back, realizing that she would eat him up if he slipped

down. They traveled on thus for many days.

When the grandmother came back to her lodge and found that the boy and

the girl were not there, she became very uneasy. She searched for them

but found no trace of either. After a while, finding the tracks of the

Genonsgwa around the lodge, she guessed what the trouble was. The old

woman followed the trail of the Genonsgwa, saying that she was bound to

get her grandchildren back.

Genonsgwa tried to get the boy off by rubbing him against a hickory

tree. The boy said, “Oh! I like that. Rub harder!” At this she stopped

rubbing him against the tree and went on. The grandmother followed in

the form of a Whirlwind, whereupon Genonsgwa said to the boy, “Your

grandmother is coming as a Whirlwind, and she will strike and kill us

both.” The boy was silent. Looking for refuge, she found a hiding place

in a deep ravine, in which she dug a hole, and going in, covered

herself with the earth which slipped down from above. The two heard

Dagwanoenyent, the grandmother, coming. “Now,” Genonsgwa said, “you can

hear your grandmother coming.” The Dagwanoenyent rushed over the place

where they lay hidden. The boy shouted to his grandmother, who, hearing

him, changed her course, coming straight back to the place they were

in. She blew off the earth from the hiding place, so that Genonsgwa

became just visible above the surface. Then the grandmother asked the

boy whether he was there. He answered, “Yes.” The Genonsgwa lay still,

whispering to the boy, “Be quiet! Your grandmother will see us.” The

grandmother then called the boy by name, “Dagwanoenyentgowa,[325] get

off Genonsgwa’s back.” Having done so, he went a short distance from

the cliff. Then the old woman hurled rocks at the Genonsgwa, and after

breaking all her clothes of rock, killed her.

The old woman now went toward home with her grandson. On the path she

said: “Never allow yourself to be treated this way again. Never allow

yourself to be maltreated by anyone. You can master all those

Genonsgwashonon,[326] if you will only use your power, for you, too,

are a Dagwanoenyentgowa.” The old woman remained at home a few days

with her grandson. Meanwhile some of the Genonsgwa’s people found the

trail of the Genonsgwa woman, which they followed until they came to

the place where her stone clothes were rent, and she was killed. When

they asked of it, the spirit of the Genonsgwa told how she had been

killed and how her coat had been rent.

The headman of the Genonsgwa now resolved to muster a large company of

their people and kill the old woman, Dagwanoenyentgowa. While they were

preparing for this, the old woman found out their plans when she was

out on her journeys and said to her grandson, “We must go to get your

sister out of the belly of the Genonsgwa woman, for she is sitting

there crying for me all the time.” So they set out for home, and when

they reached the place where the Genonsgwa woman lay dead, the

grandmother, having built a small fire, began to burn tobacco on it for

her granddaughter, saying, “This is what we like; this is what we

like.” They burned perhaps half a pouch full of tobacco, meanwhile

fanning the smoke toward the Genonsgwa woman all the time, and saying:

“This is what we like. Do you come out of Genonsgwa’s belly.” There was

no sign yet of her granddaughter. She had not yet come forth. At last

the old woman said to her grandson: “We must have more help. You have a

great many relatives—uncles, aunts, and cousins. We must call them

here.” Thereupon the old woman, Dagwanoenyentgowa, called repeatedly.

They came one by one. Soon there was a great number of them. Having

broken up and removed all the clothes of the Genonsgwa, they threw them

away, leaving the dead body naked. Then the old woman, building a fire

at Genonsgwa’s head, burned tobacco on it. All the Dagwanoenyent people

walked around the fire, each throwing tobacco on it and saying, “This

is what we like.” After each one had gone around once and had thrown

tobacco into the fire once, the young girl started up in the

Genonsgwa’s belly, and panting for breath, walked out, saying, “How

long have I been here?” They gave her more tobacco smoke, which she

inhaled until she gained full strength. Then all went home, the old

woman and her two grandchildren to her own lodge, and the other

Dagwanoenyents each to his or her lodge.