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The Dawn of the World, by C. Hart Merriam, [1910], at sacred-texts.com


p. iii

Contents

Preface

15

Introduction

17

Note

29

 

 

PART I: ANCIENT MYTHS

 

How Wit'-tab-bah the Robin got his Red Breast

33

How Ah-hā'-le stole the Sun for the Valley People

35

How Ah-hā'-le stole the Morning

45

How Tol'-le-loo stole the Fire for the Mountain People

49

Why the Lizard Man did not restore Dead People to Life

55

The Coyote and the Lizard

59

How the People got Five Fingers; How they obtained Fire; and How they broke up into Tribes

61

The Birth of Wek'-wek and the Creation of Man

67

Ke'-lok and his Han-na'-boo

75

The Creation of Man

83

How they got the Fire

89

How Kah'-kool the Raven became a Great Hunter

93

How Kah'-kah-loo the Ravens became People

101

The Bear and the Fawns, as told by the Northern Mewuk

103

The Bear and the Fawns, as told by the Tuolumne Mewuk

111

How the Children of He-le'-jah became People

115

The Greed of His'-sik the Skunk

117

Nek'-na-ka'-tah the Rock Maiden

123

The jealousy of Wek'-wek and the Death of Lo'-wut

127

p. iv

 

The Defeat of O-la'-nah

135

How Sah'-te set the World on Fire

139

How Cha'-ka shot out the Sun

153

How Wek'-wek was saved from the Flood

157

Why the Bodega Bay Indians can not stand Cold

159

Hoi-ah'-ko Tales of the Southern Mewuk

163

Oo-wel'-lin the Rock Giant

169

Tim-me-la'-le the Thunder

173

Wek'-wek's Search for his Father

179

Wek'-wek's Search for his Sister

191

Wek'-wek's Visit to the Underworld People

195

Tah'-low the Thunder and Tah'-kip the Lightning

199

He'-koo-lās the Sun-woman

201

How O'-ye discovered his Wife

203

 

 

PART 2: PRESENT DAY MYTHS

 

Beliefs concerning Animals

209

How Bears resemble People and like to Dance

 

How He-le'-jah the Cougar hunts Deer

 

How Too-le'-ze the Timber-wolf hunts Deer

 

The Stump and the Lost Dog

 

The First Teeth go to Soo-wah-tah the Gopher

 

O-lel'-le' the Mysterious Bird of Cold Springs

 

Soo-koo'-me the Great Horned Owl

 

The Meadowlark, a Gossip and Maker of Trouble

 

Ki'-kil-ah the Mountain Bluejay

 

Where Ducks and Geese go to Breed

 

Po'-ko-moo the Poison Spider

 

Where Koo'-tah the Money-clam came from

 

Beliefs concerning Ghosts and the Sign of Death

217

Ghosts follow the Pathway of the Wind

 

Three Birds scream to frighten the Ghosts

 

Ghosts may come back in Soo-koo'-me the Owl

 

A Hole in the Nose saves turning into a Fish

 

What good and bad Ghosts turn into

 

Ghosts hide in Stumps and Whirlwinds

 

Ghosts search for a Big Animal in the Ocean

 

Wah-tib'-sah the Sign of Death

 

p. v

 

Beliefs concerning Natural Phenomena

223

Thunder

 

The Rainbow

 

The Earthquake

 

Noise

 

The Echo

 

How the World Grew and Beliefs concerning Witches, Pigmies, Giants and other Fabulous Beings

227

How Witches kill People

 

Pigmies and Water People

 

The Devil of San Rafael

 

Ho-ha'-pe the River Mermaid

 

The Rock Giants

 

Scientific Names of the Animals

237

Scientific Names of the Trees and other Plants

241

Bibliography of California Mythology

243

Index

247

 


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