Sacred Texts  Native American  California  Index  Previous  Next 

p. 340

XLVIII.

Formula of Medicine for Green Vomit. 1

p. 343

The sun, here at the end of the world toward the south, did this. He it is who always went over the world by day and at night came back home. The next day he did the same thing again. After a time he listened at the place they talk about

p. 344

(underworld). He did the same thing the next day. At first he did not understand what they were saying, but after a time he understood it.

While traveling through the middle of the world, he thought, "I wish I had a wife. Let something become my wife" He did not find anything which might be his wife. Finally he thought, "I wish this one we walk on would be my wife." This that we walk on became his wife. He immediately forgot the places where he used to listen, so much did he care for the one who had become his wife.

A child grew in her and she could not move. Soon it would be time for the movements of the child to begin. By the time it did move she was like a log. Only her eyes moved about in circles.

Then her husband thought again of the rounds he used to make, which he had forgotten since he had a wife. "Yes," he thought, "that is the way I used to do." Then he took up the basket-cup which was on the bank back of the fire and went out over the world. He did not find the medicine he sought. "I wonder if Indians are coming into existence," he thought. "It will be hard for them to have children if they listen at that kind of a place.

Then he took up the cup again and went down to the river. There he saw alder roots projecting into the water. They were very beautiful, just like woodpecker crests sticking out there. "This way it will be when Indians become," he thought. "However, there will not be many who will say of me, 'That is the one who did this way.'" And then he made the medicine in the cup. He picked up a blue-stone 1 besides. He poured water on the medicine and carried it with the blue-stone to the house.

When he got there the one in whom the child was moving vomited green stuff from her mouth. Then he put the blue-stone into the fire. When it was hot he put it into the cup containing the medicine. As soon as the medicine was warm he put it into her mouth, and then commenced placing her in proper position. Before he had her laid as he wished a baby cried. The one that was

p. 345

born was Yīdetūwiñyai. Once again he arranged her and again a baby cried. That one came to be "Ground-lies-around." Then he steamed the babies with the medicine. "This way it will be," he thought, "even if they listen at that kind of a place."

After midnight, when it began to be light, he heard the babies kicking in their baskets. "This way it will be with Indians," he thought, "when they come into existence, if they repeat these words. There will not be many at all events who will say of me, 'That is the one who did this way.'" "I guess I did it for Indians," he thought.

Right then they both became men. "Ground-lies-around you are going to be," he told one of them. "You are going to be Yīdetūwiñyai," he told the other. "Whoever knows our formula will become smart." And then one of them went away. It was Yīdetūwiñyai who left them. The father himself became the sun. To the other one he said, "You will be the one that lies around the world. Indians are going to live here. You must lie belly uppermost for the Indians, so they may live happily. If you do not, this world will tip up on edge."


Footnotes

340:1 Told at Hupa, December 1901, by Emma Dusky.

344:1 A hard, dark colored stone used to heat in the fire for cooking purposes.


Next: XLIX. Formula of Medicine for Spoiled Stomach