How the Tsimshian know that Animals have Crests - Tsimshian Many years ago, among the very ancient people, they would hunt for sea otter and fur seals, which took them far out to the sea where they saw many strange things and strange beings. This is what happened to four great hunters who saw a great battle between the giant devilfish [octopus] and the blackfish [killerwhale]. These hunters were away out to sea hunting the sea otter and fur seals and went to an island for shelter and rest. While these men camped here, they knew it to be the abode of the giant devilfish who had taken many canoes, destroying many people. Soon, a large blackfish, with a hole in its fin to distinguish it, came along to where the giant devilfish lived and it dove under and was gone a long time. The large blackfish came floating up to the surface of the water which was covered with blood and drifted about. Another blackfish came upon the floating body of the dead blackfish and then it turned about and swam away. This dead blackfish was the prince of the blackfish and when one of his fellow blackfish saw it, it turned about to tell all the other blackfish in the world of what had happened to their prince. When the chief of the blackfish knew what had happened to his nephew he at once summoned all the blackfish from all over the world. These came to the great chief blackfish Chief's house who told them, "We must retaliate and kill the devilfish. It has been a menace to all having killed many people and taken down many canoes. It has killed my nephew who was to be my successor and I want revenge. This devilfish must be killed or we will all be killed off." Not long after the death of the prince of blackfish, when these four hunters were camping, a constant storm began blowing, making it impossible for the people to hunt. These four men watched the approaching blackfish, knowing that now there would be war. The great number of blackfish circled about where the abode of the giant devilfish was. This devilfish was a huge one and many times it would emerge from the water and wave its many limbs in the air. Its huge body often resembled an island thus enticing to come to it as if it were a shelter. The blackfish all gathered together in four groups and at once the four hunters recognised the fact that these were four crests, just the same as the four clans among the human beings. Each group had different markings on their fins to distinguish them from the other groups. Each of the group seemed to have its own leader. All the while the blackfish were jumping and diving in the water as if they were challenging the giant devilfish to make an appearance so they could battle it. But this never came about. The devilfish would not come out to challenge. The blackfish realised that they must change their tactics. One of the leaders had the Eagle markings in its fin, a fin with several white rings on it representing the stick gnawed by the beaver. First one warrior jumped out of the water and dove down. It was gone a long while and floated up dead. The second went down into the water and then another, until the last of the Eagle blackfish dove down. It was gone a long while and finally came up. Around it was one of the arms of the giant devilfish. Now the Killerwhale chief of the blackfish led his warriors, marked by a short squat fin with a hole in it. Their leader dove down and was followed by another of the same group. Then another went down. Soon several blackfish came floating up and the water was red with blood, but there also was one more arm of the giant devilfish that had come up. Then the Wolf group of the blackfish came forward and had a fin which resembled a tail of the wolf. This chief sprang about, and with others of his group they dove down and were gone along while. Finally one of them floated up dead, and more of the blackfish dove down and more floated up. The last of the m dove down to help their leader, who had not as yet reappeared; they were gone a long while and the sea was full of blood. Soon the Wolf leader of the blackfish and his followers came up, dead, but wrapped around the leader were three limbs of the monster devilfish. There were still a number of limbs and only the Raven crest of the blackfish remained. These were distinguished from the others by their fin shaped as a raven's beak. The Chief of the Blackfish now called on the Raven blackfish group saying, "Only your group is left, if we are to be victorious over the monster devilfish." The leader of this group jumped up, "I will go alone and battle the monster," he said. Then he jumped out of the water and dove down. He was gone for a long while and there was much blood coming to the surface of the water. The leader blackfish came up and wrapped around its body was a large limb of the giant devilfish. When the leader had rested a while, it dove down into the waters to again attack the giant devilfish and this time he was gone for much longer. Again there was much more blood coming from the surface devilfish's den and after a great while the Raven blackfish came to the surface. He was in a very weak condition but he had another arm of the giant devilfish around his body. The Raven group of the blackfish were very happy as their leader had brought up to limbs and was slowly regaining his strength. All of the other blackfish were swimming about him and some were jumping out of the water. It appeared to the watching hunters that the blackfish were dancing about their leader. Soon the Raven blackfish leader began to move about and gave one great leap form the water and dove down. In all there were five limbs from the giant devilfish got by the other clans and two by the lone Raven leader of the blackfish group. This time the leader was gone a long while, much longer than before, and there was much more blood. Soon, in a nearly dead condition, the leader of the Raven blackfish came to the surface; he had around him another limb of the giant devilfish. It took a long while for the blackfish Raven leader to revive and he did not regain his strength until the next day. But early in the morning, just as it was breaking day, these Tsimshian hunters saw the leader was making preparations to dive down to battle the giant devilfish for the final confrontation. Soon the great lone warrior blackfish leaped out of the water and made a big splash as it dove down in a fury. It was gone a long time and again blood appeared at the water's surface. After nearly being gone all day, the people saw first a large slimy mass coming to the surface; it was the huge devilfish, the monster which had for ages been taking down canoes and people. It was dead as also was the blackfish leader of the Raven group. Wrapped around it was the last limb of the giant devilfish and the blackfish Raven leader died with ultimate honour and glory. This is how the giant devilfish was killed by all of the four crests of the blackfish people. That is why the people knew that animals have crests as human beings do.

How The Trappers Broke The Spell – Abenaki These two hunters they used to go hunting every falltrapping, you know. They weren't hunters, they were trappers. They had to take their winter supplies, and when they went they had to portage their canoe. . . . quite a few miles until they got to another lake or pond [at a place] which would be a good place for trapping. They might've seen a lot of beaver and mink tracks and beaver dams. So they made ready. They made their camp ready and next day they set out their traps. But they couldn't catch anything. They seemed to have bad luck right from the start. They couldn't even kill a deer or a moose or anything for their meat supply, and their food supply was running short. Well, they stayed in there a long time without catching anything. So one day they decided they would talk things over. They said, "We got to go back without anything. We just got enough food supply to last until we get back to the (I suppose they call it a trading post, where they do their trading). How will we get stuff? We haven't got no fur or anything to trade with." "Well, we might have better luck in a different place." Anyway, they got ready to leave camp the next day. Just coming dark there came another hunter. And [he said], "Boys, I'm lost in the woods. Can I stay the night with you?" They said, "Yes, you may stay the night. We ain't got much to eat, though." He says, "I got my own." He says, "You've been having bad luck, haven't you?" He says, "Yes, I have. We're going back without anythingnot even one beaver pelt and no mink or anything." "Well," he says, "there's somebody been giving you bad luck. . . . Somebody's cast a spell over you. . ." He says, "I'll tell you what. You go out and cut a tree down, like a fir, and you hew it out in the form of a man, you know, in the form of a person, and hew out the shoulders and the head and everything. And the first thing in the morning you go and plant this [figure] along the shore. Make sure that it's standing in the water." They said, "We'll do that right now." He said, "Are all your traps set?" They said, "Yes, we're going to take them up in the morning." Well, anyway, they cut down the tree, fir tree, and they put it in the water like this man told them to. Well, that man stayed there overnight with them, and come daylight he told them to go and take a shot at it. . . . They could see the post or tree or whatever it was, and they shot at it. My God, they could hear that ring of the bullet and they could hear somebody crying. . . and this tree dropped in the water and went down the river. "Now," he says, "I'm going to leave you boys and go back to my trap line. But you're going to walkyou're going to [see all your] traps before you leave." The boys went and every trap was full! They caught a lot of minks and beaver and all kinds of fur-bearing animals. So they wasn't there any more than a week or ten days before they got. . . more than they could carry in their boats. And [also] they had meat for supper. Just as they were getting near the town there was a big moose standing around there, so they shot it, and they had plenty of meat then. But this man [had] told them, "Now I'm going to tell you. When you get back to the reservation, maybe you'll hear about a sick man, and they'll want some of your meat. Don't you give them any moose meat or, deer meat or whatever you're taking home with you. . . . That'll make the spell come back on you, but this time you'll both be sick." Well, when they did [get home], they found out that this man [i.e. a man in the village] was very sick. All at once he had a sore shoulder. He said, "If you would come and give me just a little bit of your moose meat maybe that would cure me." No, they wouldn't do it. He said, "Even just a little taste of the broth." No, they wouldn't give him nothing, not even a drop. So that kind of broke the spell and they had good luck after that. But this man was sick a long time, but that shoulder finally got the best of him and he died. . . . MRS. HEGEMAN: Is this a true story? MRS. SOLOMON: That's supposed to be true. MRS. BLACK: I don't know. I never heard that one. MRS. SOLOMON: Well, I didn't know if I'd ever told you about it. Taken from Northeast Folklore, Volume VI: 1964, Malecite and Passamaquoddy Tales, Told by Mrs. Solomon, Nov. 14, 1962. See NAFOH Accession # 179, pg. 138, Tape # T228.

How the Toad and Porcupine lost their Noses – Micmac In the old time. Far before men knew themselves, in the light before the sun, Glooskap and his brother were as yet unborn; they waited for the day to appear. Then they talked together, and the youngest said, “Why should I wait? I will go into the world and begin my life at once.” Then the elder said, “Not so, for this were a great evil.” But the younger gave no heed to any wisdom: in his wickedness he broke through his mother's side, he rent the wall; his beginning of life was his mother's death. Now, in after years, the younger brother would learn in what lay the secret of the elder's death. And Glooskap, being crafty, told the truth and yet lied; for his name was the Liar, yet did he never lie for evil or aught to harm. So he told his brother that the blow of a ball, or handful of the down of feathers, would take away his life; and this was true, for it would stun him, but it would not prevent his returning to life. Then Glooskap asked the younger for his own secret. And he, being determined to give the elder no time, answered truly and fearlessly, “I can only be slain by the stroke of a cat-tail or bulrush.” And then the younger, having gathered the down of bird's feathers, struck the elder, so that he fell dead, and therein he told the truth. But he soon recovered, and in that was his deceit. Howbeit it was well for the world and well for him that he then gathered bulrushes and smote his younger brother, so that he died. But the plant never grew that could harm the Master, wherefore he is alive to this day. Who was his mother? The female Turtle was his mother. The Master was the Lord of Men and Beasts. Beasts and Men, one as the other, he ruled them all Great was his army, his tribe was All. In it the Great Golden Eagle was a chief; he married a female Caribou. The Turtle was Glooskap's uncle; he married a daughter of the Golden Eagle and Caribou. Of all these things there are many and long traditions. Our people tell them in the winter by the fire: the old people know them; the young forget them and the wisdom which is in them. When the Turtle married, the Master bade him make a feast, and wished that the banquet should be a mighty one. To do this he gave him great power. He bade him go down to a point of rocks by the sea, where many whales were always to be found. He bade him bring one; he gave him power to do so, but he set a mark, or an appointed space, and bade him not go an inch beyond it. So the Turtle went down to the sea; he caught a great whale, he bore it to camp; it seemed to him easy to do this. But like all men there was in him vain curiosity; the falsehood of disobedience was in him, and to try the Master he went beyond the mark; and as he did this he lost his magic strength; he became as a man; even as a common mortal his nerves weakened, and he fell, crushed flat beneath the weight of the great fish. Then men ran to Glooskap, saying that Turtle was dead. But the Master answered, “Cut up the Whale; he who is now dead will revive.” So they cut it up; (and when the feast was ready) Turtle came in yawning, and stretching out his leg he cried, “How tired I am! Truly, I must have overslept myself.” Now from this time all men greatly feared Glooskap, for they saw that he was a spirit. It came to pass that the Turtle waxed mighty in his own conceit, and thought that he could take Glooskap's place and reign in his stead. So he held a council of all the animals to find out how he could be slain. The Lord of Men and Beasts laughed at this. Little did he care for them! And knowing all that was in their hearts, he put on the shape of an old squaw and went into the council-house. And he sat down by two witches: one was the Porcupine, the other the Toad; as women they sat there. Of them the Master asked humbly how they expected to kill him. And the Toad answered savagely, “What is that to thee, and what hast thou to do with this thing?” “Truly,” he replied, “I meant no harm,” and saying this he softly touched the tips of their noses, and rising went his way. But the two, witches, looking one at the other, saw presently that their noses were both gone, and they screamed aloud in terror, but their faces were none the less flat. And so it came that the Toad and the Porcupine both lost their noses and have none to this day. Glooskap had two dogs. One was the Loon (Kwemoo), the other the Wolf (Malsum). Of old all animals were as men; the Master gave them the shapes which they now bear. But the Wolf and the Loon loved Glooskap so greatly that since he left them they howl and wail. He who hears their cries over the still sound and lonely lake, by the streams where no dwellers are, or afar at night in the forests and hollows, hears them sorrowing for the Master. I am indebted for this legend to Mr. Edward Jack, of Fredericton, N. B. “I give it to you,” he writes, “just as it came from an Indian's lips, as he sat before the fire in my room this evening, smoking his tobacco mixed with willow bark. He has an endless store of Indian lore.” It may be observed that this story gives a far more ingenious reason for Glooskap's telling his brother what would be his bane than appears in the other version. For he tells him what would indeed deprive him of life, but not forever. No one can compare the story of Glooskap with that of Manobozho-Hiawatha and the like, as given by Schoolcraft or Cusick, and not decide that the latter seems to be a second-hand version of the former. In one we have the root of the bulrush,—not the light, feathery rush itself. In this story, as in that of Balder and Loki, it is the very apparent harmlessness of the bane which points the incident. Manobozho's father says that a black rock will kill him; but it does not, although he flies before it. Glooskap declares that a handful of down will cause his death. The double entendre of the swoon is entirely wanting in the Western tale, as is the apparent harmlessness of the medium of death. In the Edda the mistletoe, the softest, and apparently the least injurious, of plants, kills Balder; in the Wabanaki tale it is a ball of down or a rush. The Chippewas change it, like savages, to a substantial root and a black rock, thereby manifesting an insensibility to the point of the original, which is that the most trifling thing may be the cause of the most terrible events. The Tale of Glooskap as told by another Indian. Showing how the Toad and Porcupine lost their Noses. (Micmac.)

How the Thunder Pipe Came - Blackfoot You have heard the Thunder, for he is everywhere. He roars in the mountains, and far out on the prairie is heard his crashing. He strikes the high rocks, and they fall to pieces; a tree, and it is broken in slivers; the people, and they die. He is bad. He does not like the high cliff, the standing tree, or living man. He likes to strike and crush them to the ground. Of all things he is the most powerful. He cannot be resisted. But I have not told you the worst thing about him. Sometimes he takes away women. Long ago, almost in the beginning, a man and his wife were sitting in their lodge when Thunder came and struck them. The man was not killed. At first he lay as if dead, but after a time he lived again, and, standing up, looked about him. He did not see his wife. "Oh," he thought, "she has gone to get wood or water," and he sat down again. But when night came he went out of the lodge and asked the people about her. No one had seen her. He looked all through the camp, but could not find her. Then he knew that the Thunder had taken her away, and he went out on the hills and mourned. All night he sat there, trying to think what he might do to get back his wife. When morning came he rose and wandered away, and whenever he met any of the animals he asked if they could tell him where the Thunder lived. The animals laughed, and most of them would not answer. The Wolf said to him, "Do you think that we would look for the home of the only one we fear? He is our only danger. From all other enemies we can run away, but from him no one can run. He strikes and there we lie. Turn back; go home. Do not look for the place of that dreadful one." The man kept on and travelled a long distance. At last, after many days, he came to a lodge--a strange lodge, for it was made of stone. Just like any other lodge it looked, only it was made of stone. This was the home of the Raven chief. The man entered. "Welcome, friend," said the chief of the Ravens; "sit down there," and he pointed to a place. Soon food was placed before the poor man. When he had finished eating, the Raven chief asked, "Why have you come here?" "Thunder has stolen my wife," the man answered. "I am looking for his dwelling-place that I may find her." "Are you brave enough to enter the lodge of that dreadful person?" asked the Raven. "He lives near here. His lodge is of stone like this one, and hanging in it are eyes--the eyes of those he has killed or taken away. He has taken out their eyes and hung them in his lodge. Now, then! Dare you enter there?" "No," answered the man, "I am afraid. Who could look at such dreadful things and live?" "No man can," said the Raven; "there is only one old Thunder fears; there is but one he cannot kill. It is we. It is the Ravens. Now I will give you some medicine, and he shall not harm you. You shall enter there and try to find among those eyes your wife's, and if you find them tell the Thunder why you came and make him give them to you. Here, now, is a raven's wing. Point this at him and he will be afraid and start back; but if that should fail, take this arrow. Its shaft is made of elk horn. Take this, I say, and shoot it through the lodge." "Why make a fool of me?" the poor man asked. "My heart is sad. I am crying." He covered his head with his robe and wept. "Oh," said the Raven, "you do not believe me. Come outside, come outside, and I will make you believe." When they stood outside the Raven asked, "Is the home of your people far?" "A great distance," said the man. "Can you tell how many days you have traveled?" "No," he replied, "my heart was sad; I did not count the days. Since I left, the berries have grown and ripened." "Can you see your camp from here?" asked the Raven. The man did not answer. Then the Raven rubbed some medicine on his eyes and said, "Look!" The man looked and saw the camp. It was near. He saw the people; he saw the smoke rising from the lodges; he saw the painting on some of the lodges. "Now you will believe," said the Raven. "Take, then, the arrow and the wing, and go and get your wife." The man took these things and went to the Thunder's lodge. He entered and sat down by the doorway. The Thunder sat at the back of the lodge and looked at him with awful eyes. The man looked above and saw hanging there many pairs of eyes. Among them were those of his wife. "Why have you come?" said the Thunder in a dreadful voice. "I seek my wife," said the man, "whom you have stolen. There hang her eyes." "No man may enter my lodge and live," said the Thunder, and he rose to strike him. Then the man pointed the raven wing at the Thunder, and he fell back on his bed and shivered; but soon he recovered and rose again, and then the man fitted the elk-horn arrow to his bow and shot it through the lodge of stone. Right through that stone it pierced a hole and let the sunlight in. "Wait," said the Thunder; "stop. You are the stronger, you have the greater medicine. You shall have your wife. Take down her eyes." The man cut the string that held the eyes, and his wife stood beside him. "Now," said the Thunder, "you know me. I have great power. In summer I live here; but when winter comes I go far south. I go south with the birds. Here is my pipe. It has strong power. Take it and keep it. After this, when first I come in the spring you shall fill this pipe and light it, and you shall smoke it and pray to me; you and the people. I bring the rain which makes the berries large and ripe. I bring the rain which makes all things grow, and for this you shall pray to me; you and all the people. Thus the people got their first medicine pipe. It was long ago. Blackfoot Indians Stories George Bird Grinnell

HOW THE TERRAPIN'S BACK CAME TO BE IN CHECKS - Creek (Tuggle collection) A woman was beating sofki in a mortar out in her yard when she heard someone calling to her and making fun of her. She stopped and looked around, but saw no one. She began beating the corn again, and again heard the voice ridiculing her. She stopped and searched but in vain. Again she heard the voice, which seemed to come from under the wooden mortar, so she lifted the mortar and there found a Terrapin. As he was the guilty one, she took the pestle and beat him on the back until she broke his shell into little pieces and left him as dead. After she left, the Terrapin began to sing in a faint voice: Char-tee-lee-lee (tcatilili) I come together Char-tee-lee-lee I come together Char-tee-lee-lee I come together Char-tee-lee-lee I come together The pieces came together as he sang, but his back always looked scarred, and terrapins have ever since then had checkered backs. Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution, USGPO, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 88 [1929] and is now in the public domain.

How The Terrapin Beat The Rabbit – Cherokee The Rabbit was a great runner, and everybody knew it. No one thought the Terrapin anything but a slow traveler, but he was a great warrior and very boastful, and the two were always disputing about their speed. At last they agreed to decide the matter by a race. They fixed the day and the starting place and arranged to run across four mountain ridges, and the one who came in first at the end was to be the winner. The Rabbit felt so sure of it that he said to the Terrapin, "You know you can't run. You can never win the race, so I'll give you the first ridge and then you'll have only three to cross while I go over f our." The Terrapin said that would he all right, but that night when he went home to his family he sent for his Terrapin friends and told them he wanted their help. He said he knew he could not outrun the Rabbit, but he wanted to stop the Rabbit's boasting. He explained his plan to his friends and they agreed to help him. When the day came all the animals were there to see the race. The Rabbit was with them, but the Terrapin was gone ahead toward the first ridge, as they had arranged, and they could hardly see him on account of the long grass. The word was given and the Rabbit started off with long jumps up the mountain, expecting to win the race before the Terrapin could get down the other side. But before he got up the mountain he saw the Terrapin go over the ridge ahead of him. He ran on, and when he reached the top he looked all around, but could not see the Terrapin on account of the long grass. He kept on down the mountain and began to climb the second ridge, but when he looked up again there was the Terrapin just going over the top. Now he was surprised and made his longest jumps to catch up, but when he got to the top there was the Terrapin away in front going over the third ridge. The Rabbit was getting tired now and nearly out of breath, but he kept on down the mountain and up the other ridge until he got to the top just in time to see the Terrapin cross the fourth ridge and thus win the race. The Rabbit could not make another jump, but fell over on the ground, crying mï, mï, mï, mï, as the Rabbit does ever since when he is too tired to run any more. The race was given to the Terrapin and all the animals wondered how he could win against the Rabbit, but he kept still and never told. It was easy enough, however, because all the Terrapin's friends looked just alike, and he had simply posted one near the top of each ridge to wait until the Rabbit came in sight and then climb over and hide in the long grass. When the Rabbit came on he could not find the Terrapin and so thought the Terrapin was ahead, and if he had met one of the other terrapins he would have thought it the same one because they looked so much alike. The real Terrapin had posted himself on the fourth ridge, so as to come in at the end of the race and be ready to answer questions if the animals suspected anything. Because the Rabbit had to lie down and lose the race the conjurer now, when preparing his young men for the ball play, boils a lot of rabbit hamstrings into a soup, and sends some one at night to pour it across the path along which the other players are to come in the morning, so that they may become tired in the same way and lose the game. It is not always easy to do this, because the other party is expecting it and has watchers ahead to prevent it. Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. From the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology 1897-98, Part I. [1900] and is now in the public domain.

Yellowstone Bison Update from the Field May 15, 2014 Click the link below for a full, online version of this week's Buffalo Field Campaign Update from the Field: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/2426/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1299011 In this Issue: * Update from the Field * Despite Injustice, We Celebrate Mother's Day for Wild Buffalo * This Week's Video: Mother's Day with the Buffalo * TAKE ACTION! Keep the Pressure on Montana's Governor * Life and Death on the Madison Arm * Keep it Wild with the Buffalo & BFC This Summer! * By the Numbers * Last Words of Buffalo Inspiration Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is the only group working in the field, in the courts, and in the policy arena to protect America's last wild buffalo. Buffalo Field Campaign [ http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org ] BFC's Mission is to protect the natural habitat of wild migratory buffalo and native wildlife, to stop the slaughter and harassment of America's last wild buffalo as well as to advocate for their lasting protection, and to work with people of all Nations to honor the sacredness of wild buffalo. Click here to unsubscribe: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/2426/t/7926/p/salsa/supporter/unsubscribe/public/?unsubscribe_page_KEY=42

How The Tapir Punished The Indian – Guiana While traveling through the forest one day an Indian came across a party of men seated, eating something that smelt very savory. Now, instead of waiting to be asked to partake of the cheer, our traveler roughly inquired of them what it was that they were smacking their lips over. They told him that it was bush-cow [tapir] liver, and that if he wanted some he would have to hunt it himself. On further questioning, they told him exactly where he would find a bush-cow sleeping, and advised him that the best and quickest way to get the liver was [manum cum cultro in ano inserere atque exscindere], and the silly old fool believed them. Proceeding to the spot indicated and finding the beast asleep [inseruit cultrum in ano]—but, with the tapir now wide awake, he found it impossible to release his arm. On rushed the animal through thicket, bush, and forest, dragging the miserable hunter behind him. So they traveled night and day, only to be released when they found themselves on a sheet of water. Here the tapir relieved himself, thus freeing his would-be captor. By the time the man reached home all the skin had peeled off his arm, and when folk asked him what had caused the trouble, he told them, and they laughed at him. He had been punished for his want of manners. An Inquiry into the Animism and Folk-Lore of the Guiana Indians, Walter E. Roth, from the Thirtieth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1908-1909, pp. 103-386, Washington D.C., 1915, and is now in the public domain.[ British Guiana ][ South America ]

How The Sun Was Made – Wyandot The Woman who fell down from Heaven was unhappy on the Great Island. She was alone. There was no one to whom she could speak. She wept and wrung her hands. She was sorry she had done wrong. She had lost her country. She had lost her home and her husband. She wanted to go back to the land above the sky. One day Hoo-wa' neh heard her weeping. She was his lost wife. He had great pity for her. He could not take her back to the skyland, but he told her what to do. The Woman did just as he said. She went into the hills. She came to a place where tall trees grew. It was like a beautiful park. A clear, swift river ran there, and the leaning trees along its bank made shadows on the water. From the hill the Woman looked far off. She saw an Indian lodge in a clump of trees on the river bank. From its top rose the smoke of a fire. She came to the lodge, and she sat on a stone before its door. A woman came out to speak to her. It was her mother. She had been sent there by Hoo-wa' neh. So the Woman lived with her mother and was happy. Before the Woman came, all the Lower World was dark. Now the Woman was its light. But when she went into the lodge, darkness fell again over the earth. Having had the light of the Woman, the Animals did not like this darkness. They called the Great Council to plan how they might have more light. The Little Turtle said, "Let me go into the sky. I will put a light there to shine so that we shall not be in darkness when the Woman goes into the lodge." All the Animals thought this a good plan. A cloud, black and terrible, was called down. Heno rode in it. Harsh thunder and red lightning came out from it. The Little Turtle went into the cloud, and was carried away into the sky. There she took the lightning and kindled a great fire, which we call the sun. This sun stood still in the middle of the sky. Its light did not reach the far sides of the Great Island. At the lodge of the Woman the heat was too great. Something had to be done about this. Then the Animals made the sun alive so that It could move about in the sky. The Mud Turtle was directed to dig a great hole or way through the Great Island. The Sun was made to go by a certain path across the sky every day. Through the hole he went under the earth each evening, making night when the Woman in the lodge and the Animals, the beasts, and the birds could sleep. Then the Sun rose again in the east, bringing a new day to the world. This hole or passageway which the Mud Turtle dug from side to side through thc Great Island was more than a mere tunnel. It was almost as broad as the Great Island itself. It had a sky and stars and clouds. Heno sent one of his sons to live there and make the thunder. There were rivers and lakes and seas in that land. Fishes were in the rivers, and great fishes swam in the lakes and seas. There were trees and grass and corn, beans, pumpkins, and squashes in that beautiful country. The same animals found in the Great Island lived there, also. All the Animals of the Great Council were gods. The Mud Turtle was one of the greatest of these and created the Little People to live in the Under World. It was called the Land of the Little People. And it became the country of the dead for the Wyandots -their happy hunting grounds. >From the book “Indian myths”, by William Elsey Connelley Rand McNally & company [c1928]

How the Sun was Made – Australian Dawn, Noontide and Night. When the emu egg was hurled up to the sky it struck a great pile of wood which had been gathered by a cloud man named Ngoudenout. It hit the wood with such force that the pile instantly burst into flame, and flooded the earth with the soft, warm light of dawn. The flowers were so surprised that they lifted their sleepy heads to the sky, and opened their petals so wide that the glistening dewdrops which night had given them fell to the ground and were lost. The little birds twittered excitedly on the trees, and the fairies, who kept the snow on the mountain tops, forgot their task, and allowed it to thaw and run into the rivers and creeks. And what was the cause of this excitement? Away to the east, far over the mountains, the purple shadows of night were turning grey; the soft, pink-tinted clouds floated slowly across the sky like red-breasted birds winging their way to a far land. Along the dim sky-line a path of golden fire marked the parting of the grey shadows, and down in the valley the white mist was hiding the pale face of night. Like a sleeper stirring softly at the warm touch of a kiss, all living things of the bush stirred at the caress of dawn. The sun rose with golden splendor in a clear blue sky, and, with its coming, the first day dawned. At first the wood pile burned slowly, but the heat increased, until at noonday it was thoroughly ablaze. But gradually it burnt lower and lower, until at twilight only a heap of glowing embers remained. These embers slowly turned cold and grey. The purple shadows and white mists came from their hiding-places, and once again the mantle of night was over the land. When Ngoudenout saw what a splendid thing the sun was, he determined to give it to us for ever. At night, when the fire of the sun has burnt out, he goes to a dark forest in the sky and collects a great pile, of wood. At dawn he lights it, and it burns feebly until noonday is reached, then it slowly burns away until twilight and night falls. Ngoudenout, the eternal wood gatherer, then makes his lonely way to the forest for the wood that lights the fire of the sun. Some Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines by William Jenkyn Thomas [1923] and is now in the public domain.

Thank you .:} Barbara in MA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Buffalo Field Campaign" <bfc-media@wildrockies.org> To: CHEROKEE-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2014 1:24:32 PM Subject: [Cherokee Circle] * Happy Mother's Day! Wishing you a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY from Buffalo Field Campaign! View this message with a wonderful photo by Sandy Sisti: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/2426/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1298742 Buffalo Field Campaign P.O. Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 406-646-0070 bfc-media@wildrockies.org http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org Click here to unsubscribe http://org.salsalabs.com/o/2426/t/7926/p/salsa/supporter/unsubscribe/public/?unsubscribe_page_KEY=42 ======*====== List archives http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CHEROKEE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Wishing you a very HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY from Buffalo Field Campaign! View this message with a wonderful photo by Sandy Sisti: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/2426/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1298742 Buffalo Field Campaign P.O. Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758 406-646-0070 bfc-media@wildrockies.org http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org Click here to unsubscribe http://org.salsalabs.com/o/2426/t/7926/p/salsa/supporter/unsubscribe/public/?unsubscribe_page_KEY=42

Listmembers, two of my grgrands found an article on the web telling that Cherokee folks have crooked little fingers (the finger called by my grgrands and grgrgrands as the pinkie); that there exists some unusual/atypical shaping to the teeth of Cherokee. Is there any Cherokee on this list, or any person of medicine background on this list, who will tell me if this is true/accurate? Any knowledge told to me about these matters is truly appreciated. Thank you. Fran Chinquapin

R Buller: No, neither of those grasses, as depicted on google searches, is the one Granny used for her headaches basket. Your time and effort to help are sincerely appreciated. Thank you. Fran Chinkapin On Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 7:03 AM, R BULLER <hisbride@cableone.net> wrote: > Fran, > Could the grass be either lemon grass or wheat grass? > ======*====== > List archives > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CHEROKEE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

How the Stars Were Made – Australian Rolla-Mano and the Evening Star. Rolla-Mano was the old man of the sea. The blue ocean, with all its wonderful treasures of glistening pearls, white foam and pink coral, belonged to him. In the depths of the sea, he ruled a kingdom of shadows and strange forms, to which the light of the sun descended in green and grey beams. The forests of this weird land were many trees of brown sea-kelp, whose long arms waved slowly to and fro with the ebb and flow of the water. Here and there were patches of sea grass, fine and soft as a snow maiden's hair. In the shadow of the trees lurked a thousand terrors of the deep. In a dark rocky cave, a giant octopus spread its long, writhing tentacles in search of its prey, and gazed the while through the water with large lustreless eyes. In and out of the kelp a grey shark swam swiftly and without apparent motion, while bright-colored fish darted out of the path of danger. Across the rippled sand a great crab ambled awkwardly to its hiding place behind a white-fluted clam shell. And over all waved the long, brown arms of the sea kelp forest. Such was the kingdom of Rolla-Mano, the old man of the sea. One day Rolla-Mano went to fish in a lonely mangrove swamp close to the sea shore. He caught many fish, and cooked them at a fire. While eating his meal he noticed two women approach him. Their beautiful bodies were as lithe and graceful as the wattle tree, and in their eyes was the soft light of the dusk. When they spoke, their voices were as sweet and low as the sighing of the night breeze through the reeds in the river. Rolla-Mano determined to capture them. With this intention he hid in the branches of the mangrove tree, and, when the women were close to him he threw his net over them. One, however, escaped by diving into the water. He was so enraged at her escape that he jumped in after her with a burning fire stick in his hand. As soon as the fire stick touched the water, the sparks hissed and scattered to the sky, where they remain as golden stars to this day. Rolla-Mano did not capture the woman who dived into the dark waters of the swamp. After a fruitless search he returned to the shore and took the other woman to live with him for ever in the sky. She is the evening star. From her resting place, she gazes through the mists of eternity at the restless sea-the dark, mysterious kingdom of Rolla-Mano. On a clear summer night, when the sky is studded with golden stars, you will remember that they are the sparks from the fire stick of Rolla-Mano, and the beautiful evening star is the woman he captured in the trees of the mangrove swamp. Some Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines by William Jenkyn Thomas [1923] and is now in the public domain.

How the Squash Plant was Obtained – White Mountain Apache Squash seeds come from frog. A man was running, trying to escape from his wife, who was chasing him. She was djuc'isdza-hn (Vulva Woman, the one who killed men by getting them to cohabit with her.) Frog Old Woman was sitting beside a little stream. The man came to her there. A lot of squash plants were growing at that place. Frog Old Woman said to the man, "What did you come over here for ?. Don't go in that squash patch, newly married man. If you go in there the plants might all dry up. Nor may a woman who is pregnant or menstruating go in a squash patch, for if she does the plants will all dry up. (A newly married person is not supposted to enter a squash patch lest the plants wilt and die.) "But there is a woman running after me. I want you to put me among the squash leaves and hide me there, grandmother (maternal grandparent)," the man said. So Frog Old Woman hid him among the leaves. A little later the woman got there and asked Frog Old Woman, "Where did that man go?" "I have not seen anyone about here. I don't want any woman to get in my squash plants. Get out of here," Frog Old Woman said and she pushed her out, "If you go in there my squash plants might dry up." "I can see the tracks going right into the squash patch there," the woman said and she circled about the patch looking for more tracks. But Frog Old Woman said, "You cant find any person about here. I am going to stay here till dark and watch these squash plants." But still that woman hung about, looking for the man's tracks. Finally she went off, following the edge of the creek to the north, looking for signs of the man. "Well, that woman has gone quite a way along the creek from here, so you can come out. On the point below here is where Rock Squirrel Old Man lives. You see that hole in the rock there, well that is where he lives. You better go there," said Frog Old Woman. So the man ran over to the hole. But before he left Frog Old Woman, she gave him squash seeds to plant. She also showed him how he should plant them. "Don't dig a hole to plant them near a gopher hole. (Gopher would eat them) Plant the seeds about so deep (from wrist joint to outstretched finger tips). When they are green don't let any pregnant or menstruating women go among them." When the man got to the hole in which Rock Squirrel Old Man lived, he entered it. He spoke to Rook Squirrel Old Man as his maternal grandparent. Rock Squirrel Old Man plastered up the outside of the hole so no one could see where he had gone in. Then Rock Squirrel Old Man spoke to him, saying, "My grandson, I am going to take you home tomorrow. You live to the east, where crops and ripe fruits are continual." "All right, I wish you would take me right now," the man said. It was a long way to this man's home, but Rock Squirrel Old Man said that he was able to have them arrive there immediately. Next morning they started and arrived at the man's home in the early part of the morning. There were some girls gathering walnuts. They had piled them up and were busy pounding off the hulls. One of the girls there was the man's relative. She said, "Oh, my maternal uncle, you have been gone a long time." "How do you know that I am your uncle," asked the man. "My mother told me about you." Rock Squirrel Old Man looked different from these people. The girls looked at him and laughed. "Where did you get that funny man. His eyes stick out," they said. "Don't make fun of him! He saved my life. He is like a chief,"1 the man told them. Then Rock Squirrel Old Man left and went to his home. The man's relative showed him where his family was living, "There where the three big ramadas are standing, right at the end," she said. "Well, I will go there, approaching from the other side," the man said. Lots of corn was planted there and he pulled down and broke off one of the stalks. He chewed it as you do sugar cane. Then he came to the place where his mother and sister were. "My younger brother, I have not seen you for a long time," his sister said, and his mother told him, "My child, I have not seen you for a long time." They both wept and cried over him. The mother told his sister, "Cook some corn pudding for him." When it was done he ate till he said, "Take it away, I have had enough. I cannot eat because I have gone so long without food I have no appetite." This man's mother had told him to marry Vulva Woman, the one who had pursued him. "You should not have done that, mother. I had lots of nice girls, but by marrying her I had a hard time. Rock Squirrel Old Man was the one who saved my life. One girl working below here called me her maternal uncle. Is that the one who used to be just a little girl when I left here ?" "Yes, she has moved down that way. It must be she," the mother answered. Then the man told his mother, "My mother, the sweetheart that I used to have here, I could talk well with her. Go and bring her here. I want to marry her. But I will not stay here. I am going to move away." "Wait, my son, not today. In two or three days I will go for her," his mother told him. But never-the-less the next day she went after the girl who was staying with her mother. When she got there, she said, "I came after this girl. I want her for my boy." "Throw my moccasins to me," the girl said to her mother. The girl put on her moccasins saying, "All right, lets go!" for she had loved that man before. The mother brought the girl home with her, and she stayed there all day and that night. The next day the girl returned to her mother and told her what the man had talked of, "This man has a maternal uncle living far off and he wants to move over there with me, his mother and his sister. Their farm down here, with squash planted on it, is to be given to you." The going they sent two horses up to the girl's mother by an old woman. The old woman told the girl's mother, "Whenever you want to see your daughter, come up there to where she will be living. There is a farm down here with corn and squash on it. You can have all that." "This is a long way we have to go, but we will make it in one day," said the father of the man who had just been married. "Carry some water on the journey, we might need it. My daughter-in-law, put some water on the horse. We might need it to drink with our food. We might stop to eat at some place on the way." The man's uncle, with whom they were going to stay, was a chief. He was a chief in the tseyi-'dn (in the rocks people). clan. (This is not a White Mountain clan, but two clans in the group are said to have originated from it.) They arrived at his place the same day that they started. After they had been there for some time, persons who were not relatives or of the same clan, started to gossip. (This tale contains an excellent example of the customary procedure accompanying marriage of well-to-do people. Poorer people could not afford such displays, both from lack of kin to help them.) "What is the matter with that chief. He ought to go and kill some deer for his nephew who has just been married and has brought his wife here to live. He ought to kill some deer and take the meat down to the girl's mother." (Petty gossip such as this is very common camp talk, especially among women. It serves to delineate cultural opinion, though it is not condoned.) But the tseyi-'dn chief had already sent word about among members of his clan. The people not related to him did not know this. The next day one of the chief's nephews (sister's son) went hunting and killed a deer. This was to be for the people who had come to live with them. "Go get some corn and squash and cook them up. Dont let that girl be hungry. Give her plenty to eat," the chief said. He sent word among his relatives and they all went out hunting, but the people who were not their relatives did not know this. Then the chief said to his sister, the mother of the man, "How did you get your son back ? I thought he had married another woman." "Well, I gave my son to the other girl, but she was not good, so he is back. He was saved by Frog Old Woman and Rock Squirrel Old Man, and by his own endurance. She (Vulva Woman) never caught him." The chief had told the men who did not go hunting, to gather together at his camp. When they got there he said, "I made you all come together because you are all relatives to me. I want you to help out and do something for this man who is our relative and who has come here to live with us. If any of you want to throw in a horse, just send it over. I have a horse, but it is the only one I own, so I cannot put him in. Bring your horses in if you want, at the end of two days, when the men out hunting will be back. In this way three horses were put up and in two days the meat that the hunters brought in was to be sent with these horses to the old woman at the farm the mother of the girl who had married the young man. it was the father of the young man who would send this all down to her. In two days time the hunters returned with a big load of deer meat. They unpacked all this at the camp of the man's father, then the chief said to this old man, "These horses are too tired to go on, so in the morning we will pack up the three horses that are going to be given away and take the meat down on them." "All right, thank you, my brother-in-law," the old man said. So they packed up the three horses and there was lots of meat on them. The two horses ridden by the persons taking the meat down were also packed with meat. This made five loads of meat. When the two men arrived at the girl's mother's camp, they unpacked the loads. The old woman sent word about among the camps for people to come and get some of the meat When all the people had come together at her camp, she spread a deer hide on the ground and put meat on it, giving this to a man But she gave only to the men who were good hunters. (Becaue she would rely on them to go hunting and get deer for her.) With each gift of meat to a man went one deer hide. The two men who had brought the horses down, stayed there all night and next morning returned home. In about three days the old woman, mother of the girl, started to call from her camp, "Come on, come on, come on. I am asking you to go for a walk (she meant hunting)," she said. All night, all right, all right," the men said, "Let's go!" "I have stayed here a long time among you and am your relative," the old woman told them. So the men went out hunting for her. In about four or five days they came back bringing a lot of meat. All this was given to the old woman. "There is meat, lots of meat for you, they said But there were no horses. She had given away the three horses sent to her and had not received any in return yet. One of her brothers was living close by. He came to her and asked, How many horses have you got ?" "I have no horses. I gave three away, but have received none back." So her brother told her, "Why didn't you tell me? I will go about and get horses." So he went about among the people and sot three horses. Packing the three horses with meat and riding two more also loaded with meat, the old woman s husband and one boy took all to where their daughter was now living. They spent the night there and next morning the people did exactly the same as the girl's mother had done. It was as if the men who had gone hunting in the beginning, received their meat back. The girl said to her father, "Father, I wish you would come over here. I am lonesome for my relatives." "Well, I don't know. I have to tend the corn over there. But I can give half of the corn to your brother and half to your uncle and then come back here," he told her. "AH right," the girl said. He went back to his home that day. The next day he spoke to the people there, "Well, people, I have been a long time with you. Now I'm going to move over to where my daughter is. This is why I have to go. There is a good patch of corn and squash here, so I'm going to give it to my daughter's distant maternal uncle and one of her distant brothers. The ditches and land are in good condition. I am going up there to live with my daughter." "All right. That is up to you. She is your daughter," they said. So the old man and his family moved to where his daughter was living. The day after they arrived there, their son-in-law's mother came to them and said, "There is a lot of corn and squash down below here. It has all been given to my daughter-in-law. So you can help yourselvesto it all you want." The tseyi-'dn chief had given it all to this woman's new daughter-in-law. (Notice how the functioning relatives in this marriage are stressed. The man's mother makes the request to the girl's mother for the girl. The man chooses to take his wife and parents to live with a maternal uncle who is a, chief, because of the kinship involved as well as the desire to ally himself with the local group of a rich and influential man. He depends to great extent on this chief, his maternal uncle, in Apache thought the closest (excepting his father) of all male blood relatives because of obligations involved. The chief's sister's son (again a maternal nephew) is sent out to hunt deer by his uncle, typical of existing practices where a man will send his sister's son. on a mission almost as quickly as his son, and where the obligations are strong. Important is the fact that though the greater part of the gifts are from the man's mother's close kin, when the gift is made to the girl's parents it is nominally from the man's father, though everyone knows others are involved. When the girl's mother lacks horses for the return gift to the man's family, her brother is the one who quite typically helps her out. When the girl becomes lonely away from her parents, she requests that they come to live near her. Though matrilocal residence was the more common, patrilocal residence and the presence of the wife's parents at the same time was not uncommon, especially when the daughter was an only child. When the girl's parents move to be near her, they give the farm they had to a parallel cousin and a distant maternal uncle of the girl, just such relatives as might receive it in real life. On reaching their daughter's new home, they are graciously approached by the man's mother, who puts at their disposal many farm products.) Then they gathered up the squash lying on the ground. They set them down a little way apart from each other. If you place squas too close to each other they will get rotten. For this reason they packed dry grass between them where they stored them away, putting the same over them to shelter them. That man who had been saved by Frog Old Woman, had shown the people how to plant the squash seeds he had brought home with him. From that time on our people had squash and that was how we first got them. Told by Anna Price. Taken from Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache by Grenville Goodwin, 1934

How The Spaniards Came To Shung-Opovi, How They Built A Mission, And How The Hopi Destroyed The Mission – Hopi IT MAY have taken quite a long time for these villages to be established. Anyway, every place was pretty well settled down when the Spanish came. The Spanish were first heard of at Zuni and then at Awatovi. They came on to Shung-opovi, passing Walpi. At First Mesa, Si-kyatki was the largest village then, and they were called Si-kyatki, not Walpi. The Walpi people were living below the present village on the west side. When the Spaniards came, the Hopi thought that they were the ones they were looking for--their white brother, the Bahana, their savior. The Spaniards visited Shung-opovi several times before the missions were established. The people of Mishongovi welcomed them so the priest who was with the white men built the first Hopi mission at Mishongovi. The people of Shung-opovi were at first afraid of the priests but later they decided he was really the Bahana, the savior, and let him build a mission at Shung-opovi. Well, about this time the Strap Clan were ruling at Shung-opovi and they were the ones that gave permission to establish the mission. The Spaniards, whom they called Castilla, told the people that they had much more power than all their chiefs and a whole lot more power than the witches. The people were very much afraid of them, particularly if they had much more power than the witches. They were so scared that they could do nothing but allow themselves to be made slaves. Whatever they wanted done must be done. Any man in power that was in this position the Hopi called Tota-achi, which means a grouchy person that will not do anything himself, like a child. They couldn't refuse, or they would be slashed to death or punished in some way. There were two Tota-achi. The missionary did not like the ceremonies. He did not like the Kachinas and he destroyed the altars and the customs. He called it idol worship and burned up all the ceremonial things in the plaza. When the Priests started to build the mission, the men were sent away over near the San Francisco peaks to get the pine or spruce beams. These beams were cut and put into shape roughly and were then left till the next year when they had dried out. Beams of that size were hard to carry and the first few times they tried to carry these beams on their backs, twenty to thirty men walking side by side under the beam. But this was rather hard in rough places and one end had to swing around. So finally they figured out a way of carrying the beam in between them. They lined up two by two with the beam between the lines. In doing this, some of the Hopis were given authority by the missionary to look after these men and to see if they all did their duty. If any man gave out on the way he was simply left to die. There was great suffering. Some died for lack of food and water, while others developed scabs and sores on their bodies. It took a good many years for them to get enough beams to Shung-opovi to build the mission. When this mission was finally built, all the people in the village had to come there to worship, and those that did not come were punished severely. In that way their own religion was altogether wiped out, because they were not allowed to worship in their own way. All this trouble was a heavy burden on them and they thought it was on account of this that they were having a heavy drought at this time. They thought their gods had given them up because they weren't worshiping the way they should. Now during this time the men would go out pretending they were going on a hunting trip and they would go to some hiding place, to make their prayer offerings. So today, a good many of these places are still to be found where they left their little stone bowls in which they ground their copper ore to paint the prayer sticks. These places are called Puwa-kiki, cave places. If these men were caught they were severely punished. Now this man, Tota-achi (the Priest) was going from bad to worse. He was not doing the people any good and he was always figuring what he could do to harm them. So he thought out how the water from different springs or rivers would taste and he was always sending some man to these springs to get water for him to drink, but it was noticed that he always chose the men who had pretty wives. He tried to send them far away so that they would be gone two or three days, so it was not very long until they began to see what he was doing. The men were even sent to the Little Colorado River to get water for him, or to Moencopi. Finally, when a man was sent out he'd go out into the rocks and hide, and when the night came he would come home. Then, the priest, thinking the man was away, would come to visit his wife, but instead the man would be there when he came. Many men were punished for this. All this time the priest, who had great power, wanted all the young girls to be brought to him when they were about thirteen or fourteen years old. They had to live with the priest. He told the people they would become better women if they lived with him for about three years. Now one of these girls told what the Tota-achi were doing and a brother of the girl heard of this and he asked his sister about it, and he was very angry. This brother went to the mission and wanted to kill the priest that very day, but the priest scared him and he did nothing. So the Shung-opovi people sent this boy, who was a good runner, to Awatovi to see if they were doing the same thing over there, which they were. So that was how they got all the evidence against the priest. Then the chief at Awatovi sent word by this boy that all the priests would be killed on the fourth day after the full moon. They had no calendar and that was the best way they had of setting the date. In order to make sure that everyone would rise up and do this thing on the fourth day the boy was given a cotton string with knots in it and each day he was to untie one of these knots until they were all out and that would be the day for the attack. Things were getting worse and worse so the chief of Shung-opovi went over to Mishongnovi and the two chiefs discussed their troubles. "He is not the savior and it is your duty to kill him," said the chief of Shung-opovi. The chief of Mishongnovi replied, "If I end his life, my own life is ended." Now the priest would not let the people manufacture prayer offerings, so they had to make them among the rocks in the cliffs out of sight, so again one day the chief of Shung-opovi went to Mishongnovi with tobacco and materials to make prayer offerings. He was joined by the chief of Mishongnovi and the two went a mile north to a cave. For four days they lived there heartbroken in the cave, making pahos. Then the chief of Mishongnovi took the prayer offerings and climbed to the top of the Corn Rock and deposited them in the shrine, for according to the ancient agreement with the Mishongnovi people it was their duty to do away with the enemy. He then, with some of his best men, went to Shung-opovi, but he carried no weapons. He placed his men at every door of the priest's house. Then he knocked on the door and walked in. He asked the priest to come out but the priest was suspicious and would not come out. The chief asked the priest four times and each time the priest refused. Finally, the priest said, "I think you are up to something." The chief said, "I have come to kill you." "You can't kill me," cried the priest, "you have no power to kill me. If you do, I will come to life and wipe out your whole tribe." The chief returned, "If you have this power, then blow me out into the air; my gods have more power than you have. My gods have put a heart into me to enter your home. I have no weapons. You have your weapons handy, hanging on the wall. My gods have prevented you from getting your weapons." The old priest made a rush and grabbed his sword from the wall. The chief of Mishongnovi yelled and the doors were broken open. The priest cut down the chief and fought right and left but was soon overpowered, and his sword taken from him. They tied his hands behind his back. Out of the big beams outside they made a tripod. They hung him on the beams, kindled a fire and burned him. Truth of a Hopi, by Edmund Nequatewa; Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin No. 8. [1936, copyright not renewed] and is now in the public domain.

How the Snake "Tsitsikgwes" Got His Beautiful Beaded Skin – Abenaki This is a story from long ago, when the Great Spirit was making the world. He had already been working on the Creation for some time, and He had made the rivers and the oceans. He had made the sky above, and created the Thunder Beings who live there. He had made the Sun to walk the sky by day, and the moon to travel the nighttime sky. Then the day came when He was making the people of the world, the winged-ones, the four-legged ones, two-leggeds, ALL the creatures of the Earth. While He was making "Tsitsikgwes", he had to go to another part of the Earth before He finished, so He said to him: "Tsitsikgwes, I have not finished with you yet. You don't have your legs, or your skin, so wait here until I return and I will give you the rest of your body." For some time, Tsitsikgwes remained where he was, waiting for the Great Spirit to return and give him legs and skin. While he waited, he noticed that the Sun was shining warm upon his body. He looked around, and all that was within his sight was beautiful to behold. Tsitsikgwes began to feel a desire to explore the world around him, but he remembered the words of the Great Spirit, and continued to wait. Finally his patience ran out, so he said to himself, "this world is so beautiful, I think I will wander around and look at all the wonders. Surely I will be back before the Creator comes again to this place." While he had been waiting, he had figured out that even though he did not yet have his legs, he could move from place to place by twisting his body. So, Tsitsikgwes began to roam, looking at the beauty all around him. Everywhere he turned, there was something new to see and hear and feel. Further and further he wandered, and he forgot that he was supposed to be waiting for Great Spirit's return. All of Creation was new and wonderful, and there was always something else to explore just ahead, so he traveled a long way from where he was supposed to be, and soon lost his way. By the time he remembered that he was told to wait for Great Spirit to finish his body, he had no idea how to get back to that place. While he was trying to find his way back, the sun got lower and lower in the sky, and it soon became night. Now the temperature began to drop, and Tsitsikgwes no longer felt the sun warm upon his back. The sands that had warmed his belly also began to get colder and colder, and still he could not find his way to where Great Spirit had told him to wait. He began to shiver with the cold, and he thought to himself, "Oh, why didn't I stay where I was supposed to stay? If I had waited until I had my skin, then maybe the cold wouldn't feel so bad on my body. If I had my legs, maybe I could see further over the ground and find my way back." Suddenly, Tsitsikgwes noticed a small light up ahead of him. "Ah", he thought, "there will be someone at the light who can help me." So, he made his way to where the light was shining, and when he got there he saw that the light was from a small fire, glowing softly through the walls of a tipi. By this time, Tsitsikgwes was so cold that he could barely move; but he knew that the fire would be warm, so he decided to go into the tipi and ask if he could stay beside the fire for the night. As he went into the tipi, he saw that there was a woman there. She had a deerskin in her hands, and was sewing a shirt for her mate. Tsitsikgwes asked the woman, "Would you mind if I shared your fire? I have been lost, and since I don't have my skin the cold is too much for me." At the sound of his voice, the woman looked up, but to his surprise, she screamed. "You ugly creature!! Get out of my tipi. You have no skin and no legs, and you are too ugly to look upon. Get out!! Get out!!" Upon hearing these words, Tsitsikgwes was very sad. All day long he had been wandering through a beautiful and wonderful world, but he never knew that he was still ugly. He turned back and left the tipi, but his heart was heavy. Tsitsikgwes knew that because he was so ugly, the woman had sent him to his death. The cold night had almost done him in before he found the tipi and the fire, and now he had no place to warm himself. Tsitsikgwes went a short distance from the tipi, then he curled his body up, trying to find some way to stay warm enough to stay alive. Tears flowed from his eyes as he realized that he would not be freezing to death in the night if he had only waited as he was told to do. Soon, the woman's mate came home and went into the tipi. Still the night grew colder and colder, so Tsitsikgwes was now very near his death. He decided to go to the tipi one more time, and ask if he could warm himself beside the fire. Perhaps the man would not be afraid of his ugliness as the woman had been. Slowly he made his way back to the tipi. As he went in, the woman saw him and began to yell even before he could ask the man's permission to warm himself. She told the man, "there's that horrible looking animal I was telling you about. He has come back again, even though I told him to go away. Make him leave, he is too ugly to stay here." So the man took up a stick, and he began to beat Tsitsikgwes with it, in order to make him leave the tipi. The man hit Tsitsikgwes so hard across the head, that the snake's head was flattened out, and to this day all of his grandchildren have the same flat head. So, for the second time, Tsitsikgwes left the people's tipi, and great was the hurt and the sorrow in his heart. The people had told him that he was too ugly, and beat him, and sent him out to face a lonely death from the cold. As he slowly moved away from the tipi, Tsitsikgwes noticed that the man had dropped a beaded belt on the ground. He went closer, and saw that it was just wide enough to wrap around his body. So, he wrapped himself in this belt, which was beaded in a beautiful diamond pattern. The belt was wide enough to go all the way around his body, but it was not as long as the body of Tsitsikgwes, so the end of his tail stuck out beyond it. Because Tsitsikgwes did not have his outer skin, the belt stuck to his inner skin. His inner skin was much like a glue, so that his outer skin would stick to it. When he wrapped himself in the belt before he was given his outer skin, the belt stuck to him just as his outer skin would. As the night went on, Tsitsikgwes found that the belt was keeping him warm enough to stay alive. Athough he still could feel the cold, he knew that he would not die. However, the the part of his tail that was sticking out beyond the belt froze, and when he tried to move it his tail broke into sections. So Tsitsikgwes spent the night in this way, wrapped in the belt and waiting for the Sun to rise and bring the warmth back to him. Early the next morning, while Tsitsikgwes was lying curled on a rock letting the warmth of the Sun soak into his body, Great Spirit came walking up. "Tsitsikgwes", he said, "I have been looking for you. Why did you not stay where I told you to stay?" So Tsitsikgwes told Great Spirit about feeling the desire to explore the Creation, and the troubles he had because he didn't have his legs or his skin. Great Spirit gazed down at the snake and said, "I'm sorry, Tsitsikgwes, but I can no longer give you skin or legs. You have wrapped yourself in this belt, and it has stuck to your inner skin. Also, there are no openings in the belt for legs to go into. However, there are other gifts that I can give to you, because you did not willfully disobey. You only got caught up in the beauty of the world, and lost you way. I give these gifts to you and to your grandchildren for all time to come. Take them now, and may you have a long and blessed life upon the Earth. So Tsitsikgwes took the gifts, and went on his way. The first gift was that the Grandchildren of Tsitsikgwes would wear a beautiful beaded belt as their skin for all time. Another gift was a rattle the Great Spirit placed in the broken section of the snake's tail, and the last gift was a set of two teeth that could poison the enemies of Tsitsikgwes. And so it remains until this very day. All of the Grandchildren of Tsitsikgwes have never forgotten how the people treated him on that long and cold night. So even to this very day, you can find Tsitsikgwes' grandchildren sunning themselves on a rock to chase away the cold of the night. And if a human being happens to comes too close to one of the Grandchildren of Tsitsikgwes, he will hear a warning rattle. This is the snake's way of saying, "Stay away from me. You drove me out and beat me when I was ugly and cold, so now I don't want anything to do with you." And if the human being ignores the warning rattle, then the snake will bite and poison him. And that is how it happened that the snake Tsitsikgwes got his beautiful beaded skin

How The Spaniards Came To Shung-Opovi, How They Built A Mission, And How The Hopi Destroyed The Mission – Hopi IT MAY have taken quite a long time for these villages to be established. Anyway, every place was pretty well settled down when the Spanish came. The Spanish were first heard of at Zuni and then at Awatovi. They came on to Shung-opovi, passing Walpi. At First Mesa, Si-kyatki was the largest village then, and they were called Si-kyatki, not Walpi. The Walpi people were living below the present village on the west side. When the Spaniards came, the Hopi thought that they were the ones they were looking for--their white brother, the Bahana, their savior. The Spaniards visited Shung-opovi several times before the missions were established. The people of Mishongovi welcomed them so the priest who was with the white men built the first Hopi mission at Mishongovi. The people of Shung-opovi were at first afraid of the priests but later they decided he was really the Bahana, the savior, and let him build a mission at Shung-opovi. Well, about this time the Strap Clan were ruling at Shung-opovi and they were the ones that gave permission to establish the mission. The Spaniards, whom they called Castilla, told the people that they had much more power than all their chiefs and a whole lot more power than the witches. The people were very much afraid of them, particularly if they had much more power than the witches. They were so scared that they could do nothing but allow themselves to be made slaves. Whatever they wanted done must be done. Any man in power that was in this position the Hopi called Tota-achi, which means a grouchy person that will not do anything himself, like a child. They couldn't refuse, or they would be slashed to death or punished in some way. There were two Tota-achi. The missionary did not like the ceremonies. He did not like the Kachinas and he destroyed the altars and the customs. He called it idol worship and burned up all the ceremonial things in the plaza. When the Priests started to build the mission, the men were sent away over near the San Francisco peaks to get the pine or spruce beams. These beams were cut and put into shape roughly and were then left till the next year when they had dried out. Beams of that size were hard to carry and the first few times they tried to carry these beams on their backs, twenty to thirty men walking side by side under the beam. But this was rather hard in rough places and one end had to swing around. So finally they figured out a way of carrying the beam in between them. They lined up two by two with the beam between the lines. In doing this, some of the Hopis were given authority by the missionary to look after these men and to see if they all did their duty. If any man gave out on the way he was simply left to die. There was great suffering. Some died for lack of food and water, while others developed scabs and sores on their bodies. It took a good many years for them to get enough beams to Shung-opovi to build the mission. When this mission was finally built, all the people in the village had to come there to worship, and those that did not come were punished severely. In that way their own religion was altogether wiped out, because they were not allowed to worship in their own way. All this trouble was a heavy burden on them and they thought it was on account of this that they were having a heavy drought at this time. They thought their gods had given them up because they weren't worshiping the way they should. Now during this time the men would go out pretending they were going on a hunting trip and they would go to some hiding place, to make their prayer offerings. So today, a good many of these places are still to be found where they left their little stone bowls in which they ground their copper ore to paint the prayer sticks. These places are called Puwa-kiki, cave places. If these men were caught they were severely punished. Now this man, Tota-achi (the Priest) was going from bad to worse. He was not doing the people any good and he was always figuring what he could do to harm them. So he thought out how the water from different springs or rivers would taste and he was always sending some man to these springs to get water for him to drink, but it was noticed that he always chose the men who had pretty wives. He tried to send them far away so that they would be gone two or three days, so it was not very long until they began to see what he was doing. The men were even sent to the Little Colorado River to get water for him, or to Moencopi. Finally, when a man was sent out he'd go out into the rocks and hide, and when the night came he would come home. Then, the priest, thinking the man was away, would come to visit his wife, but instead the man would be there when he came. Many men were punished for this. All this time the priest, who had great power, wanted all the young girls to be brought to him when they were about thirteen or fourteen years old. They had to live with the priest. He told the people they would become better women if they lived with him for about three years. Now one of these girls told what the Tota-achi were doing and a brother of the girl heard of this and he asked his sister about it, and he was very angry. This brother went to the mission and wanted to kill the priest that very day, but the priest scared him and he did nothing. So the Shung-opovi people sent this boy, who was a good runner, to Awatovi to see if they were doing the same thing over there, which they were. So that was how they got all the evidence against the priest. Then the chief at Awatovi sent word by this boy that all the priests would be killed on the fourth day after the full moon. They had no calendar and that was the best way they had of setting the date. In order to make sure that everyone would rise up and do this thing on the fourth day the boy was given a cotton string with knots in it and each day he was to untie one of these knots until they were all out and that would be the day for the attack. Things were getting worse and worse so the chief of Shung-opovi went over to Mishongnovi and the two chiefs discussed their troubles. "He is not the savior and it is your duty to kill him," said the chief of Shung-opovi. The chief of Mishongnovi replied, "If I end his life, my own life is ended." Now the priest would not let the people manufacture prayer offerings, so they had to make them among the rocks in the cliffs out of sight, so again one day the chief of Shung-opovi went to Mishongnovi with tobacco and materials to make prayer offerings. He was joined by the chief of Mishongnovi and the two went a mile north to a cave. For four days they lived there heartbroken in the cave, making pahos. Then the chief of Mishongnovi took the prayer offerings and climbed to the top of the Corn Rock and deposited them in the shrine, for according to the ancient agreement with the Mishongnovi people it was their duty to do away with the enemy. He then, with some of his best men, went to Shung-opovi, but he carried no weapons. He placed his men at every door of the priest's house. Then he knocked on the door and walked in. He asked the priest to come out but the priest was suspicious and would not come out. The chief asked the priest four times and each time the priest refused. Finally, the priest said, "I think you are up to something." The chief said, "I have come to kill you." "You can't kill me," cried the priest, "you have no power to kill me. If you do, I will come to life and wipe out your whole tribe." The chief returned, "If you have this power, then blow me out into the air; my gods have more power than you have. My gods have put a heart into me to enter your home. I have no weapons. You have your weapons handy, hanging on the wall. My gods have prevented you from getting your weapons." The old priest made a rush and grabbed his sword from the wall. The chief of Mishongnovi yelled and the doors were broken open. The priest cut down the chief and fought right and left but was soon overpowered, and his sword taken from him. They tied his hands behind his back. Out of the big beams outside they made a tripod. They hung him on the beams, kindled a fire and burned him. Truth of a Hopi, by Edmund Nequatewa; Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin No. 8. [1936, copyright not renewed] and is now in the public domain.

How the Snake "Tsitsikgwes" Got His Beautiful Beaded Skin – Abenaki This is a story from long ago, when the Great Spirit was making the world. He had already been working on the Creation for some time, and He had made the rivers and the oceans. He had made the sky above, and created the Thunder Beings who live there. He had made the Sun to walk the sky by day, and the moon to travel the nighttime sky. Then the day came when He was making the people of the world, the winged-ones, the four-legged ones, two-leggeds, ALL the creatures of the Earth. While He was making "Tsitsikgwes", he had to go to another part of the Earth before He finished, so He said to him: "Tsitsikgwes, I have not finished with you yet. You don't have your legs, or your skin, so wait here until I return and I will give you the rest of your body." For some time, Tsitsikgwes remained where he was, waiting for the Great Spirit to return and give him legs and skin. While he waited, he noticed that the Sun was shining warm upon his body. He looked around, and all that was within his sight was beautiful to behold. Tsitsikgwes began to feel a desire to explore the world around him, but he remembered the words of the Great Spirit, and continued to wait. Finally his patience ran out, so he said to himself, "this world is so beautiful, I think I will wander around and look at all the wonders. Surely I will be back before the Creator comes again to this place." While he had been waiting, he had figured out that even though he did not yet have his legs, he could move from place to place by twisting his body. So, Tsitsikgwes began to roam, looking at the beauty all around him. Everywhere he turned, there was something new to see and hear and feel. Further and further he wandered, and he forgot that he was supposed to be waiting for Great Spirit's return. All of Creation was new and wonderful, and there was always something else to explore just ahead, so he traveled a long way from where he was supposed to be, and soon lost his way. By the time he remembered that he was told to wait for Great Spirit to finish his body, he had no idea how to get back to that place. While he was trying to find his way back, the sun got lower and lower in the sky, and it soon became night. Now the temperature began to drop, and Tsitsikgwes no longer felt the sun warm upon his back. The sands that had warmed his belly also began to get colder and colder, and still he could not find his way to where Great Spirit had told him to wait. He began to shiver with the cold, and he thought to himself, "Oh, why didn't I stay where I was supposed to stay? If I had waited until I had my skin, then maybe the cold wouldn't feel so bad on my body. If I had my legs, maybe I could see further over the ground and find my way back." Suddenly, Tsitsikgwes noticed a small light up ahead of him. "Ah", he thought, "there will be someone at the light who can help me." So, he made his way to where the light was shining, and when he got there he saw that the light was from a small fire, glowing softly through the walls of a tipi. By this time, Tsitsikgwes was so cold that he could barely move; but he knew that the fire would be warm, so he decided to go into the tipi and ask if he could stay beside the fire for the night. As he went into the tipi, he saw that there was a woman there. She had a deerskin in her hands, and was sewing a shirt for her mate. Tsitsikgwes asked the woman, "Would you mind if I shared your fire? I have been lost, and since I don't have my skin the cold is too much for me." At the sound of his voice, the woman looked up, but to his surprise, she screamed. "You ugly creature!! Get out of my tipi. You have no skin and no legs, and you are too ugly to look upon. Get out!! Get out!!" Upon hearing these words, Tsitsikgwes was very sad. All day long he had been wandering through a beautiful and wonderful world, but he never knew that he was still ugly. He turned back and left the tipi, but his heart was heavy. Tsitsikgwes knew that because he was so ugly, the woman had sent him to his death. The cold night had almost done him in before he found the tipi and the fire, and now he had no place to warm himself. Tsitsikgwes went a short distance from the tipi, then he curled his body up, trying to find some way to stay warm enough to stay alive. Tears flowed from his eyes as he realized that he would not be freezing to death in the night if he had only waited as he was told to do. Soon, the woman's mate came home and went into the tipi. Still the night grew colder and colder, so Tsitsikgwes was now very near his death. He decided to go to the tipi one more time, and ask if he could warm himself beside the fire. Perhaps the man would not be afraid of his ugliness as the woman had been. Slowly he made his way back to the tipi. As he went in, the woman saw him and began to yell even before he could ask the man's permission to warm himself. She told the man, "there's that horrible looking animal I was telling you about. He has come back again, even though I told him to go away. Make him leave, he is too ugly to stay here." So the man took up a stick, and he began to beat Tsitsikgwes with it, in order to make him leave the tipi. The man hit Tsitsikgwes so hard across the head, that the snake's head was flattened out, and to this day all of his grandchildren have the same flat head. So, for the second time, Tsitsikgwes left the people's tipi, and great was the hurt and the sorrow in his heart. The people had told him that he was too ugly, and beat him, and sent him out to face a lonely death from the cold. As he slowly moved away from the tipi, Tsitsikgwes noticed that the man had dropped a beaded belt on the ground. He went closer, and saw that it was just wide enough to wrap around his body. So, he wrapped himself in this belt, which was beaded in a beautiful diamond pattern. The belt was wide enough to go all the way around his body, but it was not as long as the body of Tsitsikgwes, so the end of his tail stuck out beyond it. Because Tsitsikgwes did not have his outer skin, the belt stuck to his inner skin. His inner skin was much like a glue, so that his outer skin would stick to it. When he wrapped himself in the belt before he was given his outer skin, the belt stuck to him just as his outer skin would. As the night went on, Tsitsikgwes found that the belt was keeping him warm enough to stay alive. Athough he still could feel the cold, he knew that he would not die. However, the the part of his tail that was sticking out beyond the belt froze, and when he tried to move it his tail broke into sections. So Tsitsikgwes spent the night in this way, wrapped in the belt and waiting for the Sun to rise and bring the warmth back to him. Early the next morning, while Tsitsikgwes was lying curled on a rock letting the warmth of the Sun soak into his body, Great Spirit came walking up. "Tsitsikgwes", he said, "I have been looking for you. Why did you not stay where I told you to stay?" So Tsitsikgwes told Great Spirit about feeling the desire to explore the Creation, and the troubles he had because he didn't have his legs or his skin. Great Spirit gazed down at the snake and said, "I'm sorry, Tsitsikgwes, but I can no longer give you skin or legs. You have wrapped yourself in this belt, and it has stuck to your inner skin. Also, there are no openings in the belt for legs to go into. However, there are other gifts that I can give to you, because you did not willfully disobey. You only got caught up in the beauty of the world, and lost you way. I give these gifts to you and to your grandchildren for all time to come. Take them now, and may you have a long and blessed life upon the Earth. So Tsitsikgwes took the gifts, and went on his way. The first gift was that the Grandchildren of Tsitsikgwes would wear a beautiful beaded belt as their skin for all time. Another gift was a rattle the Great Spirit placed in the broken section of the snake's tail, and the last gift was a set of two teeth that could poison the enemies of Tsitsikgwes. And so it remains until this very day. All of the Grandchildren of Tsitsikgwes have never forgotten how the people treated him on that long and cold night. So even to this very day, you can find Tsitsikgwes' grandchildren sunning themselves on a rock to chase away the cold of the night. And if a human being happens to comes too close to one of the Grandchildren of Tsitsikgwes, he will hear a warning rattle. This is the snake's way of saying, "Stay away from me. You drove me out and beat me when I was ugly and cold, so now I don't want anything to do with you." And if the human being ignores the warning rattle, then the snake will bite and poison him. And that is how it happened that the snake Tsitsikgwes got his beautiful beaded skin