Sacred Texts Native American California Index Previous Next
Many brothers lived together, very many. From there these many people could hear women (singing?); for two very pretty women lived beyond there, and thither in the northwest this lot of people were going to go courting, they say. Two very pretty women lived there, Wild-Parsnip's brother's daughters. Now, on top of this mountain were the Mountain-Tossing people. A man, listening to those women, would not be able to reach to the top, it is said.
"You must go up over, and do the best you can there," they said. So a man started off, after having packed up some food. Going along, he camped close by a spring at the base of the mountain. In the morning he went up; and as he went, when he was halfway to the top, he was killed. "That man will not return. I shall go and take a look at that dangerous country there," said one of the brothers who was going after him.
"All right!" they said. "Look out! Go ahead!" said the oldest man. "You shall say, 'I will tell you carefully when I shall come back,'" he said. "Then, on whatever night you name, we shall look for you," he said. Then the other said, "All right! All my brothers may not, indeed, have crossed over that mountain. So, following them, I shall arrive, if alive, after seven days are passed; but if dead, I shall be later than that night. 'He is dead,' that ye shall say of me," he said.
Then he went away, kept travelling until, having arrived at the spring where there was a hut, he camped. In the morning, after having breakfasted, he went up; and going
up, when he was halfway there, he saw where his brother had been killed. Still he continued on, going upwards; and when he was almost at the top, he was killed.
Now, the many people here in the house watched; kept watching until that day had passed that he had told them, "I shall return then." "To-night he will return," they said, and watched. Then, when that day was over and he was not come, "Well, he is dead," they said. Then Atatim-Man said, "I will go myself. Do ye remain here."--"All right," they said. In the morning he spoke to them, saying, "Where I am going, I can conquer any kind of a man. I shall go," he said. "My people, ye must not watch for me there. I shall return on the day I wish to, when he has failed to conquer me," he said. Then he dressed himself, put on a fine netted cap, put on new beads, and feather plume-sticks and bands, and stuck down upon his head. "Now," he said, "I am going! Ye must stay;" and he went off.
Travelling along, he camped at the camping-place. By and by, in the morning after he had slept, he awoke, and, having finished breakfast, he went up. He sang; and when he had gone a little ways from the fireplace, he sang, swinging his body from side to side. He kept on singing, turning first in one direction, then in another.
Now, Coyote heard him from somewhere this side of the mountain. "Ah! I wonder what that may be!" he said. "Well, well! It sounds very pretty. I'll go and see," he said, and trotted off towards it. He came halfway to where the man was singing. "Halloo!" he said. "In another's country shall I sing, looking down; in another's country I shall sing, looking about," he said. Coyote said, "Well, my cousin! you sing very prettily. What country are you going to? Tell me truly where
you are going." Atatim-Man remained sitting on top of a rock. Coyote, standing around, talked to him.
By and by Atatim-Man spoke. "I am not doing anything," he said. "Recently, a while ago, two of my brothers were travelling in this country; and since they did not return, I am looking for them. What is the matter," Then Coyote spoke. "Who is following you, going with you?" he said. "If you go alone, people will see and talk about you." Then Atatim-Man said, "I am alone. You stay here!" telling Coyote to remain where he was. But Coyote shook his head. "No," said he. "Why do you go alone? I will go with you, my cousin. I am one who may talk with many chiefs. In going where there are many people, it is sufficient if you go two together. If you go alone, no one will see and talk about you; but if this man has a chief with him, a good man, then all the women as well as the men will be talking about you," he said. "I shall go there. I shall follow you," he said. "Very well! If you wish to go, you may go. In going, you must seize hold of my belt, on both sides(?)."
Now, when the sun had risen but a little ways, they went up. A little distance up, Atatim-Man said, "Now seize hold of my belt! and, by shutting your eyes, you shall reach the top. Only when you reach the top may you open your eyes. You must not open your eyes."--"Very well!' said Coyote, "I will not open my eyes. By going along with my eyes shut, I shall reach the top." So, without his opening his eyes, the two went on up.
(Coyote) walked along with his eyes shut; and, going on, they had nearly reached the top when he said, "I wonder why he tells me to shut my eyes! Huh! I guess,
if I open my eyes, I shall not die! Why, when he has his eyes open, should I go keeping them shut? It will be well if both of us are looking about. I, too, want to see something," said Coyote.
He thought thus to himself: "If he looks back to see if my eyes are still shut, I'll say, 'My eyes are still shut.'" That is what he thought as he went along. He opened his eyes; and just then, when they were almost at the top, something just touched him as it went past. He wanted to see it very much. "What kind of people can they be?" he said. So he opened his eyes a very little, looking about. Before he had seen anything, without giving him a chance to see anything, they seized him, carried him off, and killed him.
(Atatim-Man), without looking back there, went on; kept travelling and travelling until he reached a place where there was a house. The house lay on the other side of a river, they say; and when he got there, he camped. In the morning, having arisen, he sang, kept singing, until after a time he spoke, saying, "Do ye give me a canoe." Then he went on singing.
Then Wild-Parsnip-Man said, "Do ye take over a canoe." So two men went down to the canoe, and, having reached it, they crossed over. "I did not call ye two," said Atatim-Man. So they went back again; and when they had reached the other side, they went up to the house. "'I did not call ye two,' he said to us," said they.
Wild-Parsnip-Man said, "He is a man of great power. Understand that well. Do ye two take the canoe over." Then two women went down, and, having reached the canoe, crossed over with it. "I did not call ye," he said, and they went back. Having crossed over, they went up to the house. "'I did not call ye two,' he said to us," they said.
"He is a powerful man," said (Wild-Parsnip-Man). "Do ye two do the best ye can. Be careful! Do ye two take the canoe over again." Then two middle-aged men went down, and, having reached the canoe, took it across. When they had reached the other side, "Did I call ye? I certainly did not call ye two," he said. So they went back; and, having got across, they went up to the house. "'I certainly did not call ye two,' he said to us," said they.
Then Wild-Parsnip-Man said, "Well, he is a powerful man. Ye must do the best ye can and survive. Do ye two take the canoe over." So two middle-aged women, having gone down to the canoe, went across. When they had reached the other side, he said, "Did I call ye two? I certainly did not call ye." So crossing back again, when they reached the other side, they went up to the house. "'I certainly did not call ye two,' he said to us," they said.
"Well," said Wild-Parsnip-Man, "Ye two perhaps, ye two crawl out there." Then those two beautiful women, who rarely went out or about, they, having crawled out, took the canoe over. Now, Atatim-Man sang, turning his body from side to side. He sang quite loud. The two women, arriving at the canoe, took it over; and when they got there, he said, "All right! It was ye that I was calling."
He got into the canoe, and they, taking him across, when they reached the other side, went up to the house and went in. Then the two women, having prepared good food, gave him something to eat; and when he had finished eating, he remained there. Atatim-Man married the two women.
After a few days he went away, and returned with those two women. They kept travelling; and reaching the top of the mountain, when they walked down the other side,
they found Coyote lying there, nothing but bones. Those who killed people did not trouble them if they were returning; but those who were going, who were climbing up that mountain, they overcame. So Atatim-Man was a very strong man, they say. Being stronger than that other kind of people, he conquered them and went on.
He journeyed on still with the two women. Having picked up Coyote's bones, they carried them along. He saw his brother. He lay there, nothing but bones; and, gathering them up, he went on down. Halfway down there was another lying there. So, gathering up the bones, he went on. They kept travelling until they came to the spring, and there they camped.
After they had eaten supper, they slept. In the morning, waking up, after they had breakfasted and finished eating, they went on. Going up to the spring, they put Coyote in it. Then they continued on; and when they had returned, they took the bones of the brothers that they had carried, and put them at night into the water. In the morning they came out from the water, and came to the house. And then they all remained there, in those olden times.
Now Coyote, waking up in the morning in that spring, looked about him. "I wonder if my cousin has left me behind!" he said. "He left me when I had been asleep a little while. Yesterday morning my cousin went off. Well, I wonder where all my cousins live! I'll go and see. Going hither and thither, from east to west, I will make a circuit around," he said. He pointed about as he spoke, they say.
He was all alone; and when he started off, he came in this direction, kept travelling, and at length heard a man who was carrying something in a buckskin sack, tied
up tightly. "Well, I wonder who it is! He is a big man, a man as large as I am," he said. "I will ask him to fight," he said, and, so thinking as he went toward him, they met.
"Halloo!" said Coyote, "where are you going? My! You are a very great man, my cousin! My cousin, let us fight! We are exactly the same size." Then the other replied, "No, I am tired, I am not strong enough to fight. I have come a long distance, I am going that way."--"What are you carrying," said Coyote. "Let me look!'--"No," said the other, "I shall not show it to you. It is something bad."--"What kind of a bad thing?" said Coyote. "I want to see what it is. Let me look!"
"No, it is magically powerful," he said. "You had better tell me. If you tell me everything, I will let you go, you may go on your way, and I will not trouble you," said Coyote. Then the other man spoke. "I have come from afar to this country, for I do not like to see these bad winds blowing about. The Wind-Man is a bad man, one who carries much sickness; and if he blows upon mortal men, they will be very ill. So I was going to stop this Wind-Man. The Wind-Man carries many weaknesses, he carries many coughs and colds, carries many sicknesses of all kinds. The Wind-Man carries very cold winds; and when they begin to blow in this country, mortal men can hardly see the ground. That is the kind he is. I do not want to see him do that way. The Wind-Man carries great sickness. For him to blow upon mortal men made me feel sorry. I am carrying off that very powerful man, and shall not let you see him." So said the man who had the winds.
"So, there afar off, travelling about from the ends of the earth, I have been going, carrying them in a sack. All kinds of Wind people--North-Wind-Man, Whirlwind-Man--all kinds of Wind people I have been catching. Travelling over this world continually, going for very many days, a great many days I have gone all around the world, hunting. And so, catching them and tying them up; seeing another in another country, and tying him up; going from there to another land, and seeing another there and tying him up,--that is the way I have been doing. Going all over the world, hunting for them, I have not missed one; have been catching all kinds of Wind people. I think I have caught them all, and carried them away," said he.
"I think I have caught every one, and now I am carrying them off. And making them stay in my country, keeping them there, then this world, wherever one goes, all over the world, wherever the world extends, the country will be good," he said. Now, there I tell you the truth," he said.
Coyote, saying nothing, listened, kept listening until the other had finished speaking. "All right!" said he. "That is good. I think if you gave me a little, if I also had some, I think I could be very good. It will be a good thing for two persons to own them. My cousin, you had better give me some. I am a chief. I shall be very careful if I have some of them." So said Coyote.
Then the man who had the winds refused. "No, it would be a bad thing," said he. "Mortal men in this country, in all countries, will feel bad at having this pestilential wind blow on them. When, preparing their food, mortal men eat, then the whirlwind, blowing up, makes the dust rise, blowing it into the food. That will be very bad. I do not want to see that. I want this world to
be good," said the man having the winds, not wishing to give any to Coyote.
After Coyote had staid there without speaking, after he had listened, and when the other had finished speaking, then, after a while, he spoke up. "That is good," he said. "You think rightly. I, like you, am a man who wishes well. In the many countries I go through they call me a good man. I think nothing but what is good. And as I go about through this world, many men and many women speak of me as a good man, a great chief. Give me that. I am like you, and shall be a good man if I have it," said Coyote.
Then the other man stood up without saying anything; and when he had stood for a while, he spoke. "What I say to you, you must believe. I said to you I would not give you any. I told you I would not give any. Many days again going, for many days travelling, I shall carry off what I have caught. In this same country, if it starts to blow, if it blows in this country, it makes the dust fly in this country, throwing about little twigs of all kinds, as if angry. I don't want to see quantities of all kinds of rubbish made to move about. So, carrying it off away from this country, it will be made a good country. That is why I shall go away," he said. "I shall not let that loose here," said the man who had the wind.
Then Coyote, after he had listened for a while, spoke. "I am not an outsider, a stranger, who asks you to give. Many men do not address you with good talk. So I ask you, my cousin, my good cousin. I myself have been thinking of you for many days. I wonder who has talked
to you, saying good things! I am a good man, my cousin. I have been thinking only of you. Give me that. You had better give it to me," he said.
Then the other, not saying anything, thought, and he got angry. Meanwhile Coyote still listened; and when he did not answer, Coyote spoke still again. "Did you hear? If you hear what I say, you will give it to me. Don't you wish any kind of people, even your brothers, to own a little with you? We are brothers and cousins together, not strangers. It will be better if all sorts of things are owned by one good man rather than by many persons. So, not knowing me, and considering me a stranger, you did not give it to me. I guess you never saw me," he said.
"Long ago I was in your country, when I was small. My father went there to make friends with your father. When he was there, I knew you as a child. So you do not know me. I have been thinking of you, but you do not know me."
Meanwhile the other listened, saying nothing. Coyote spoke, they say; and after the other remained for a time without saying anything, he replied, "All right! I will divide with you, and give you half. Carry it away out of this world, and take good care of it as you go. You must do that way if you want to have it. You must not open and examine it in the middle of this world. Don't do that! Don't untie the bag, except when you have carried it out of this country! For in whatever country you put it, there make it stay, make it stay there certainly. Only there you may open it. There you will make it remain," he said.
"All right! I shall do so," said Coyote. "I shall not open it. I will carry it far away. There having carried it to my country, there only will I open it. You said
you were taking it to your country. I say I shall take it also to my country," said Coyote.
The man who had the wind was very unwilling to give it; but, not being able to help himself, he gave it when he was beaten. When Coyote told him to give him half, he refused, and gave him only a little. After he had given it to him, he said, "Well, go! I also am going." Then the man who had the wind, starting on, went off. And Coyote started and came on hither.
Having come a little ways, he looked back. "I wonder what there is to be afraid of! It would be well if I look, I think. I'll untie it, And peek in," he thought. So again he looked back, standing up; he looked all around, then sat down, kneeling. Then he untied it, but held it tight as he did so. When he had all untied it, he let go.
When he let go, rushing out with a whistling noise, the wind carried him up to the sky. After a while he fell down, but only as bones, for the flesh was all gone. So Coyote died. Then the wind, blowing, knocked down many trees as it went. The Wind-Man, they say, is going in the same way still. Always the wind, as it goes along, throws down the Tree people. Long ago it was when he let the Wind-Man go; and he has been going about and blowing ever since, it is said. That is the way that Coyote made the world evil. And therefor, they say, this Wind-Man exists in this world.
Meanwhile the other man, he who had the wind, went off. He kept going toward the country whence he had set out, and, having reached it, let the wind go there. And in that country, they say, the wind was only a little strong. And the man remained there in the long ago.