Texts of the North American Indian

Writings of E.S. Curtis
Excerpts from "The North American Indian" Set #254, Vol. 8

THE CHINOOKAN TRIBES (cont'd)

MYTHOLOGY (cont'd)

A war broke out on the river, and Coyote participated, capturing two slaves, both small persons. "I am going to have something different from the others," though he. He took them home and set one down on each side of his house. The next morning he saw that one of his slaves was beginning to swell, and he notified the people in the village that something was wrong with him. The swelling continued, until the slave seemed ready to burst, and about midnight he did burst, the explosion wrecking the house. Not knowing what had happened, Coyote began looking for his slave, and he decided to call on his medicine for advice. His medicine was his feces, which he called his "Two sisters." They were very wise, knowing always what was occurring. They told him that the slave he had had in the house was West Wind, and Coyote couldn't find him again because he had gone back to the place in which he had been found. But when the snow fell, Coyote was to trap him, setting a snare wherever he saw a black spot on a the snowy hillside. When the winter came, Coyote saw a small black spot on the snowy hill, and there he set a trap. On the next day he saw the same small person caught in the trap by the hand, and he brought the captive back to his house; but again the slave blew up, destroying the house. This time his medicine told him it was of no use to try and keep this person a slave. "He is very important," it said. "He lives up in the hills, and whenever he comes down, the snow goes away. If you had killed him, the winter would never end. After the fight in which he was captured, Flea was in the bottom of the canoe in which the fighters were returning home, and he was so small that another slave sat down on him without seeing him, which made flea flat.

THE ANIMAL PEOPLE HOLD A MEDICINE-CHANT

All kinds of bird and animal people met at a village in the winter to sing their medicine-sings, Grizzly-bear was the first. Everybody was afraid of him. He sang and danced, and each time he came neat the fire he slapped it, and made the coals and smoke and wood fly into the air and shower down on the others, but no one dared say a word. "If anybody interferes with what I am doing, I will eat his head, bones and all!" declared Grizzly-bear, and to show his bravery he again slapped the fire. The others lowered their heads and said nothing, for they were all in fear of such a powerful man. A small person sat there, By and by he cried, "I am going to stop him!" He walked forward quickly while Grizzly-bear was singing, and said: "You are going to far, Grizzly-bear! We all know your name.You say that if anybody interferes, you will eat his head. You slap the fire and burn us. Your name is big enough, and you ought not to do this, I think you are not the right kind of man; you are a bad fellow!" Grizzly-bear turned about and glowered at the little person; then he growled, "Who is that interfering?" He slapped the fire again and repeated, "I want to know how is doing this talking, and I will eat him!" "Here I am," said the one who had spoken; "look right at me! if you are foolish enough to eat me, I will make you drop everything there is in you!" Grizzly-bear looked at the other closely, and, recognizing him as Lizard, he said: "Oh, you are my relative, and I do not like to have trouble with you here. People all over the country would have the news that we have been fighting. The will have it that Grizzly-bear and his brother were quarrelling at the medicine-singing." Grizzly-bear then sat down, for he feared Lizard.

Another came forward and sang, making a rattling, buzzing sound, This was Rattlesnake. "Let nobody interfere while I sing," he warned; "if anybody does, I will give him shóaluptín" (the grass which the rattlesnake is supposed to eat in midsummer in order to its bite most venomous). Rattlesnake began to sing: "I do not know where I shall bite first; I do not know whom I shall bite first." All the people remained very quiet. About the middle of the song, a person cried out: "Stop that 'Where am I going to bite, whom I am going to bite,' you flat-nosed thing! Other people here want to sing, and you must not take up all the time!" Rattlesnake began to rattle angrily, so that for a time no other sound could be heard. The people were frightened, and urged the one who had spoken: "Go out and show yourself; he may bite any of us!" So Raccoon came out, and said: "I am the one who spoke. If you bite me, I will burn out your eyes!" Rattlesnake turned and looked closely; then said, "Why we are relations, and I do not wish to have trouble in this gathering." So Rattlesnake withdrew.

Then Black Bear came out to sing, and he was followed by the other animals, and by all the plant people. At last it was nearly spring, when Crow started his song. The West Wind began to blow, and the snow to melt, and it was spring when Crow finished. Lizard went home among the rocks, and one day he sat on the sunny side, making arrows. Grizzly-beat came along and looked, shading his eyes from the sun, and said, "There is the person who interfered with me at the singing." He went around and approached from the back. Lizard knew he was coming, but paid no attention. He sat in a crevice. Something seized him by the hair and pulled him back. He looked up, and saw Grizzly-bear. "Do you remember what you said to me at the singing?" asked the latter. "I do not remember saying anything to you," said Lizard. "Now tell me what it was you said to me that time," persisted Grizzly-bear. He growled fiercely, and repeated, "Tell me!" and raised his paw to slap Lizard. But just then the latter slipped from his grasp, darted into the crack, and came up a moment later from another crevice armed with bow and arrows, and dressed for a fight. Grizzly-bear leaped toward him again, and slapped at him, but Lizard dodged into the crack and shot him. In this manner the fight continued, Grizzly-bear leaping about and Lizard shooting little arrows into his body. After a while Grizzly-bear fell dead, and Lizard cut off his claws. Down the breast of Grizzly ran a strip of white fur, which Lizard also cut off to use in his medicine-making.

One day Raccoon was down in the creek feeling under the stoned for little suckers and crawfish. Rattlesnake saw him, and recognizing him in the person who had interrupted his singing, he determined to have revenge. He went to the edge of the water and waited unseen, and after awhile Raccoon came that way, thrust his paw into the crack where Rattlesnake was, and got bitten. He did not notice this, and put his paw in again, and was bitten five times. His paw began to swell, and, thinking he must have gotten into some thorns, he build a fire and held his paw in it until the swelling was reduced, Then, happening to look around, he saw Rattlesnake, and aware now of the cause of his wounds, he picked him up and burned his eyes. The fire is what made his paws so black and slim.

EDWARD S. CURTIS