Sacred Texts Native American Southeast Index Previous Next
When as yet there were no other deer in the world a fawn was made and kept in a certain place and Wildcat was set to watch it. They said to him, "Let it grow a little bigger." Then he killed it, and they restored it to life. Next they set the Wolf to watch it. After a time he killed it. They restored it to life and they set the Panther to watch it. They said to him, "Let it grow until it is almost a big buck." He killed it. Then they restored it to life again. Next Bird-that-sits-on-deer (itco patcokole--cowbird?) watched. While he was doing so it became big. He sat on the horn and ate ticks, and every now and then he would fly away and come back.
After that the wind blew from the north, the bird flew away to seek shelter in the moss, and while he was asleep the deer disappeared. Next morning be did not know where the deer had gone and hunted for it in vain. He said to the people, "It is gone."
The people wanted to find out where it was, so they assembled all of the prophets (sobaile). They made a yard and kindled a fire in the center. For the same purpose they collected all sorts of medicines. One prophet sat down but could not learn anything. Another one sat down to find out but in vain. Still another sat down and could not discover anything. Last of all they asked Flying Squirrel, who began by saying repeatedly, "I do not know anything." He flew up toward the east and remained poised. He remained for a while and then came back to the ground. He flew up to the west, remained for some time, and came down. He flew to the north, remained for some time, and came down. He flew to the south, remained for a while, and came down. Then he said, "It is standing on a palmetto (talå) island in a small lake far off in that direction" [i. e., toward the south].
Then they wanted to summon it. For that purpose they gathered medicines and mixed them. They made a fire and their prophet stayed by it all night, and when it was almost day they heard it approaching, trumpeting. It shook the earth like a railroad train. Then the men got their bows and arrows and stood ready to shoot it, with ghosts just behind them, Panthers in the third row, Wolves in the fourth, and Wildcats last. When the Deer got close, the Wildcats became scared and did not stand. They trembled. "We want very much to defecate," they said, and ran away.
When the Deer arrived the men tried to shoot it but did not succeed; the ghosts hit it; the Panthers jumped upon it and threw it down. With the help of the Wolves they killed it. Then the Wildcats came running back and bit it in the throat, until a man told them to let it alone. "Now it is dead," he said. They stopped, and sat down licking their feet. Then the men procured sticks and tore the deer to pieces, whereupon each hair that flew out turned into a deer and ran off into the woods.
hen all of the people started off and camped in another place. They went hunting and when they came together again the people had killed a deer. The Panthers also killed one. The Wildcats, however, killed and brought back a yellow mouse. Again all went out hunting and came back, each with a deer, except that the Wildcats brought a rabbit. The next time they went out all came together again with deer except the Wildcats, who killed and brought in a turkey gobbler. The fourth time they went hunting all came together with deer but the Wildcats, who had killed and brought in a fawn.