Sacred Texts Native American California Index Previous Next
Long ago Sun-Man lived, they say, in a sweat-house. From Honey-Lake Valley, looking straight to the north, it was. He went stealing, stole and carried off children. The Sun lived there, together with his sister.
Their house was covered all over with ice. And when he stole (children) from all about, and brought them thither, no one could do anything to him. They were unable to
crawl inside, could not crawl up to the smoke-hole, could do nothing to him. So, when they could do nothing to him, he became more arrogant. And the people from all countries were seeking to catch him and kill him, but they couldn't kill him.
And he went to the north, going off again to steal. He kept going, hunting as he went along. He searched the camps as he went. He saw a house. Now, Frog-Woman lived there, having a large winter house. She was weaving a basket, holding the grass in her mouth, and she was a woman who never dropped the grass from her mouth.
And she staid there, weaving. The man arrived. She remained sitting on one side of the house, staid there continually. Then, "How are you?" she said, the woman said. "Pretty well always. I am going about, being tired after having staid (long in one place)," said he. "I am travelling about because I am lonesome." So he staid.
Meanwhile the woman's grandson, after having remained (within), went outside the door to play. They could hear him playing. Then the man went out, and, seizing the boy, stole and carried him off.
Meanwhile the woman wove without saying anything. And as she kept weaving, she thought, "I wonder why that child does not make (any) noise at play!" So she let go of what she was weaving, and crawled out.
Then she did not see the child. So she followed the man's tracks. And they came to the place where the child had been playing, and (showed how) the man had seized him and carried him off to keep. Then the woman ran after (the thief). That woman was very strong, they say, and she ran after him.
Meanwhile the man, having run a little ways, made a willow-valley, created a beautiful valley of willows. Then,
having run on a little farther again, he made another; and after that he made (another) pretty willow valley. Then, having done this, he ran away. And meanwhile that woman who was running, and following behind, ran as far. as the willow valley. She still held some grass in her mouth. And, seeing the willow, she said, "Well, I never saw such a very pretty one before." So, having stopped, she gathered some.
She went about breaking them off one after another for a time. Then she thought of her child, and started to run on again. And when she had run on for a little ways, she came again to a beautiful willow valley. And she ran to it; and, having stopped, again she gathered some. She went about breaking: them off one after another, and just then she remembered. So she ran after Sun-Man (again).
She ran off, kept running, and, when she had almost caught up with him, arrived (at his house) running. And he, by making the willow-patch, brought it about that he should win over her while she was admiring it and gathering it. He created the willow valleys; so, while she had almost caught up with him, he beat her.
He (Sun-Man), having crawled up on his house, remained sitting on top by the smoke-hole, having sent the child inside. Then the woman crawled up; and when she had crawled up only a little ways, she slid down again. Again she crawled up; and again crawling up, when she was pretty nearly halfway up the side-slope of -the house, she slipped back to the bottom again.
Then, having stood up, she said, "I do not know whether I shall be able to crawl up to you." Then she crawled up, kept crawling up, kept crawling up; and again, when she was pretty close to the smoke-hole, she slipped up, and slid down little by little to the bottom.
[paragraph continues] "Ham!" (equivalent to an oath) said she. "I will crawl up there to you."
She got up, and stood, and, almost slipping all the time, slowly she crawled up. Then she spoke. "Get out of the way!" she said. "Give me the house! I am going in! Give me the house!" Meanwhile he did not answer. "Do you hear?" she said. Don't be slow! Give me the house! I am going to crawl in."
"I have come after my grandson. For what reason did you bring him hither? Either I gave him to you, or you stole him from me," she said. "Do you get out of the way!" she said. "I am going in. Get out of the way! If you don't get out of the way, I will swallow you," she said. "Do you hear? When I speak to you, get out of the way quickly. Go away! If you don't do it, I'll swallow you," she said.
Then he answered, "If it is best to be swallowed, you will swallow me. It is best so," he said. "Don't speak again!" she said. "Without speaking again, without saying anything again, I am going to swallow you," the woman said. Then he, said, "If you wish to swallow me, swallow me!" Still he sat beside the smoke-hole, they say.
Then that old woman seized him in her mouth; and, having bitten him, she swallowed him. And when she had swallowed him completely, having winked her eyes repeatedly, she kept still. By and by she groaned. She kept on, groaning, they say, (because) of swallowing this Sun-Man.
Meanwhile within her stomach he kept swelling, and kept swelling until he swelled enough to protrude his head again from her mouth. Then she groaned. Still he kept on growing until he killed that woman. Filling her belly to bursting, and causing her to burst, he killed her.
Then he spoke. "An evil person, one who shall not
run after mortal men, a frog, one living in the rivers, that is what you shall be. You shall not harm people in any way," he said. "She was the one who, having a big mouth, had swallowed that man," he said.
But he himself, it is said, was to be continually swallowed by this old woman. (?) "Once in a while the Sun, after being gradually shoved out of sight, after he is all gone on one side (?), he keeps growing, until, like one fully grown, he looks to himself the same," they say. "In the olden time he was one who was swallowed continually," they say.
And he himself, after he had ceased from being killed, after he had staid there for some time, spoke to that woman (his sister). 1 "You ought to travel at night," he said. "You must be the night sun (moon)." Then she replied, "Very well."--"I shall be the day sun," said he. And thereupon he set out. And so the woman went at night.
Meanwhile some Star-Men were trying to catch that woman as she went along. The woman saw them. And thereupon they stopped and stood still. And they, it is said, those Star-Men, still are standing, together at one place, where they stood, being ashamed of their running after the woman.
That woman spoke to her brother. "You must go at night," she said. "Those Star-Men were going to head me off, run after me; (but) I saw them, and, being ashamed, they did not catch me. That kind of people would trouble me a great deal."
Then the man said, "Yes. I will be the Night-Sun-Man. You must be the Day-Sun-Woman," he said. "And there they used formerly, in olden times, to say thus to mortal men: 'That is the one the Frog-Old-Woman swallowed.' Thus mortal men shall see and talk of me,"
he said. "And they who ran after the woman, and were ashamed, mortal men will see them still remaining where they stopped, and will talk of them," he said. "They stopped (because) they were ashamed of having followed the woman," he said. "And that, mortal men will say when telling of the olden time," he said.
Then he went away. And going along, when it came night, then as the sun set, they met face to face; and he said, "How are you?" And then the woman answered, "Nothing is troubling me." Then he said, "All right! It shall be so to the end." (?) It is finished, it is said.
181:1 Not the frog-woman, but his sister who lived with him.