Sacred Texts Native American Northwest Index Previous Next
[Told by Moses]
There was a town, and a large prairie on which many children were playing. They were always making a noise. They did so every morning all the year round. Then the Heaven heard it. He was much annoyed, and therefore he sent down feathers. They came down, soaring over the children. One boy saw them. He was almost grown up and was very strong. He took the feathers and put them on his head. Then he ran about.
The children had a stick with which they struck a wooden ball. After a little while that boy began to rise, his feet leaving the ground. Then another one rushed up to him and took hold of his feet. His hands stuck to the feet of the first boy, and his feet also left the ground. Then another boy rushed up to him and took hold of his feet, but he also went up. Still another one rushed up to them, taking hold of the feet. He also was lifted upward. Still other ones ran up to them, until all the children were gone. Then a man saw it and rushed up to the children. He also hung onto them. Another one rushed up to them, and took hold of his feet. They all went up to heaven, the whole town, and nobody was left. The Heaven took them all up. He was annoyed on account of the noise of the children.
[paragraph continues] Therefore the Heaven took them all up. Not even one was left. The whole town disappeared. Only dogs were there, running about howling.
Now there was a young menstruating girl who had been in a small house behind the village. She was there with her little grandmother. When she left her little house and went back to the village, she saw that the whole great town was empty. Then the woman walked along the street crying. Now she found an old wedge made of crabapple wood, one made of sloe wood, one of spruce wood, and she found a little grindstone, a little knife, and some snot. She put them into her belly and went to the rear of the house. She did not put them aside. Then she lay down for four days and four nights. Then she
came to be with child and gave birth to a boy, to another one, and to still another one, and to two more. They were very strong. There were three males and one stone and one knife and one snot. The one was named Little-crab-apple-tree, the next one Little-sloe-bush, the next one Little-spruce, the following Little-mountain, the next one Little-knife, and one more was called Snot. The woman had six children.
The woman and her little grandmother suckled them. Now they were a little older, and then they were grown up. Now they also began to play. They took a stick and played ball. (In olden times the people called this "ball-play.") Then the mother said to her children: "Stop, children! Your grandfathers were killed on account of this
game. The Heaven took the whole tribe up. Long ago the children did the same thing that you are doing now. Therefore do not do so."
One day the children did so again. Their mother and the little grandmother were unable to stop them. Now they were young men. There were five Young men and one girl. They were called Little-crab-apple-tree, Little-sloe-bush, Little-spruce, Little-grindstone, and Snot; but the little girl was called Little-knife. They were playing all the time. They were very strong. The little girl was the sixth one.
Now the Heaven heard them again when they started playing.
[paragraph continues] Then he sent the feathers. They came down again, soaring over the children. The eldest boy saw them and took them. He put them on his head and ran about, playing. Then his feet began to rise from the ground. The sky took him up. His younger brother, Little-sloe-bush, ran up to him, but his feet were lifted from the ground. He could not pull his brother down. When he felt that he was getting weak, he said, "Break, my roots!" and his feet left the ground. Then the Little-spruce-tree rushed up to them. He tried to keep his feet to the ground, but when he grew weak, he also said, "Break, my roots!" Then Little-grindstone rushed up to them, and suddenly there was a great mountain. He also tried to keep his feet down while the Heaven was pulling him upward. He did not move because the
mountain was all stone, but after a while the mountain moved. Then Snot rushed up to them. He also stuck to the ground. The little girl was running about, rubbing her hands. She was called Little-knife. When Snot's feet were also lifted from the ground, she rushed up to them and climbed her brothers' heads until she reached the eldest one. Then she cut the feathers over her eldest brother's head. She cut them right in the middle, and the children fell down to the ground. They did not go up to the sky. The feathers always stayed on the eldest brother's head, and he was called Rotten-feathers.
Now Rotten-feathers and his younger brother went on all alone. They came to a town, and there Rotten-feathers married a woman. Then he returned to his own town, and there he stayed with her.
They had a boy. When he was grown up, his father, Rotten-feathers, named him. Then he went . . . . 1
101:1 For continuation, see page 234.