FOOTNOTES:
[15] Told by Yellow-Bear.
15. THE GIRL WHO MARRIED A STAR.[16]
One night two pretty young maidens were sleeping on top of a summer arbor. They were ill with monthly sickness. One said, “Kario, I love that little bright star, and I wish it was my husband.” That same night, while sleeping, the girl was taken away up in the heavens, to live with her husband, he giving her instructions what to do and what not to do. He could not always stay at home, as he was in the chase. One of the instructions was that the woman should never dig up an Indian turnip at slough-like places. While her husband was away, the woman determined she would discover the mystery connected with her husband’s injunction. When she had dug the turnip she saw what the mystery was. She saw the people living on this earth looking like crawling insects.
When she saw this she cried and cried and cried. She went to an old woman for comfort. The old woman saw that the woman had been crying; so she questioned her and found out her trouble. The woman answered that she could easily be relieved of her trouble. So she advised her to collect all the sinew she could find from the meat her husband brought.
The girl told her husband she wanted all the sinew there was in all the game he killed, even the very smallest piece. Her husband did as she asked, not knowing her intention. When a very large number had been made the woman took the sinew and went to the old woman, who began to make what she had promised to make for her. “Come back in a few days,” she said, “and I will have the thread ready for you. Remember to come when your husband goes on a long chase.”
The husband started on a chase, and the girl went to the old Woman’s lodge and told her that her man had gone. The old woman got her sinew rope and fixed it around the woman’s waist and began to let her down—down—down. She went with her first child on her back. The place she started down was where she had dug up the forbidden root. The twine was lacking about twenty or more feet. The old woman was an old spider, it was found. Old Spider-Woman did not have enough cobweb and sinew, so the woman hung on the rope, not able to touch the earth.
When her husband returned he found his wife missing. He began to look for her. He thought at once of his order, and so went out where she usually dug. He found a stick in the grass. He discovered the rope tied around the stick, and his wife and child hanging away down near the earth. He picked up a stone and talked to the stone, saying, “Do not harm the boy, but kill the mother.” Down—down—went the stone, and struck the young mother on the head; it cut the rope and her body fell; but the boy was safe. The boy stayed by his mother’s body and fed himself at her breast for a time. Her body began to decay.
The boy went off and got into a cornfield, not knowing that it was corn. When lonesome he returned to his mother. The owner of the field was an old woman. She saw the footprints in her field. She wondered what it could be. She made a little ball and a crooked stick, also a little bow and arrows. She thought if it was a girl she would take the ball and crooked stick, but if it was a boy he would take the bow and arrows. When the old woman looked she found the little fellow had taken the bow and arrows.
The old woman was very joyful. The little fellow had done much damage to her squash vines with his bow and arrows. She went out and hid in the field, waiting for the little fellow. The boy came as usual with his weapons and the old woman sprang out and caught him, saying, “Oh, atine, atine; you are to come home with me.”
She took the boy home and gave him food, such as fresh corn mush, succotash, and squash. The boy seemed quite happy. When the woman went out to work he amused himself with his arrows, shooting little birds in the field, and on his grandmother’s return he would bring the birds for her to eat. She was a happy grandmother, proud of her little grandson. The boy grew larger. When he began to make his own bows and arrows to his taste he began to bring home larger game, such as deer and antelope. His grandmother was still happier.
The boy’s grandmother was accustomed to place under a curtain which was always closed, a big wooden pan of whatever they had to eat, before she went to her work. The boy, noticing this, made up his mind to find out what it was. While she was gone, he moved the curtain and beheld a huge serpent with large yellow eyes. The boy said within himself: “Ah! here is the one that eats up everything that grandmother puts here.” He took his bow and arrows and shot and shot, until he killed it.
The boy’s grandmother came in. The boy spoke up, and said: “Grandmother, I have killed the bad one that ate up everything you placed under that curtain.” The old woman appeared glad of it, but was hurt at heart. She covered the serpent and placed it in a pool. The serpent said that he could not do anything, because the boy was gifted with a great mysterious power of his father. The dead serpent was the husband of this grandmother.
The grandmother, wounded at heart, planned to have the boy killed in some way. She forbade him to ever go into the timber near by, because there were all sorts of dangers there. In this timber, she said, was a bear that wanted to tear him into small strips. When the old woman had gone he started out to the forbidden place. He found the bear, captured him and thought he was strong and would do to haul corn and wood for his grandmother. On her return she saw the great, big black-bear tied. The boy spoke up, saying, “I have here a strong animal which will work for us.” The old woman appeared to be happy, but felt hurt that the boy could have captured the bear. She was the owner of all animals around, both good and bad. She turned the bear loose and explained the case to the boy, saying she could not use the bear in any way.
One day the boy was gone all day and all night. His grandmother now thought him dead. Roaming around, the boy found a tipi. In the tipi were four strong-looking men. Around the fire was the meat of a whole buffalo and an elk. The boy stood on one side looking at the game. The men were playing with plum dice in a basket. The interest of these men was very noticeable. One man’s nose got very dirty, but he would not move to clean it. The boy outside did not like it. He took his arrow and shot through the hole he was peeping through. The arrow cleaned the man’s nose. The men rushed out and gave the boy a hearty welcome, for they had already heard of his wonderful doings. They took him in and gave him a whole buffalo to eat. He began to eat, and ate as much as usual. The men began to ask why he did not eat more. He said he could not, as he had had his fill. The men ate heartily. They cleared the meat that was before them. The men asked him to stay all night. They invited him to join them on a hunting trip.
Next day they started. They killed an elk. They dressed it and found a fœtus. As courtesy, the hunters took the fœtus and placed it before the boy to take home with him. The boy was affected. He asked them to remove the fœtus. He was standing by a tree. He started up the tree. The men, seeing he was afraid of it, moved it, little by little, toward him. They were afraid of him and were trying to do everything to get rid of him. The boy was afraid of the fœtus. He would not come down while it was in the way. The men came home. By and by a man was sent out to see if the boy was there. Coming to the spot he found the boy still there. The boy asked the man to remove the fœtus. He refused. He went home and reported all he had seen. In about four days the men came around and found the boy still there. They found him very thin, and suffering for food and water. He would not come down while the fœtus was there. The men made a conditional offer,—if he would deliver up to them his grandmother they would remove the fœtus. The boy said he would. They removed the fœtus. The boy started home at once. He told his grandmother what had happened and what he had done. Out of love for his life he had given her up to these men.
The grandmother was happy on his return. She said she would grant his request. About two days after, she and the boy started out where the men were. They stopped at the entrance of the tipi until they heard a voice from within asking them to step in. The boy said, “Nawa, I have done what I agreed to do. Here is my grandmother.” “Ah ho! Ah hi!” they replied, “you were honest and have done as you agreed to do. That is the way for noble boys to do. As this is a bargain for your life we will do all we can for you to turn our power and skill over to you.” Now they began to teach the boy the ceremony of catching eagles and of hunting. “It was our desire to have your grandmother, and as you have been true to your agreement, we are glad.” All were satisfied. The grandmother and son then went home.
The next day the boy started out on the prairie for game. He met a camp of Snakes, mostly deadly Rattlesnakes, and there were all the other kinds of Snakes. They were glad to have him come. They invited him in. They gave him the best seat. He knew what danger there was to meet. So as he sat down he took out a smooth stone which he used for sharpening his knife, and placed it in his anus. The room was clean and there was a ridge around the fire for a pillow. Time and again he noticed a Snake disappear and attack him where he had defended himself. He knew it. They said: “He must be hungry. Give him something.” They gave him a spleen. He took it and looked at it. He replied that he could not eat it raw; so he poked up the fire and threw the spleen in. It cracked and made the audience wild. The spleen was the teeth of all these Snakes. The boy knew the secret and could not be fooled so easily.
The Snakes, resting on the square pillow-like structure, demanded of the boy that he relate some happenings or stories, to pass the night pleasantly. He refused to be first. He agreed to take his turn with them. They began. Each Snake had for his subject the life of their guest and that of his grandmother. When all were through with their stories the boy began his story: “Nesaru commanded the winds to blow; at evening they stop, the trees stop rustling, the grass keeps on for a while, but they all fall asleep.” This much of the story put a part of them to sleep. “Nesaru sends hurricanes of trials and hardships in our lives; the same to all kinds of trees and to large, deep rivers; they rage and beat against their banks, the water gets dirty, there comes on the gentle night, soft breezes, the trees quiet down, the rivers are calmed, the waters clear up and they are asleep.” This was the end of the boy’s story. The remainder of them fell asleep.
The boy thought of how he was to have been treated, and he decided to be avenged. He took from his belt his sharp knife and cut along a straight line on the square structure, cutting off the head of every Snake until he came to the last one, which slid away, saying as he went, “Old-Woman’s-Boy, I will remember all.”
As the boy left he was very particular as to how he should carry himself. Having gone many miles he thought all danger was over. He placed his arrows around him, bidding them to awaken him when danger was near.
While he was sleeping his enemy came. Before the arrow could give the alarm the Snake entered his body. Grasping his knife he cut his stomach open. Up went the snake’s head to his breast. He cut his breast open. Up it went to his throat. He cut his throat open. Up it went, into his head, and rested there. His father above knew all of this. He sent a great wind which turned the boy’s head over, so that his opened œsophagus turned toward the wind. Then came a hard rain, filling every corner of his head. The Snake’s head would peep out of the boy’s head, but the boy would say, “Old-Woman’s Grandson is still alive.” There came a scorching heat, and the water began to make the Snake peep out its head, but the boy would say, “Old-Woman’s-Grandson is still alive.” It got too hot for the Snake. It fled, and the boy sprang to his feet and caught it. “You will suffer punishment, and you will always be ashamed and crawl on your body in the dirt, your head down, avoiding all decent creatures that Nesaru made.” He took the Snake and knocked his head on a flat rock until it was flat and its eyes were close to its mouth.
The reason the boy was afraid of the fœtus was that it was the time of the year when all young animals are as yet unborn, and the cluster of stars to which the boy’s father belonged is never seen at this time to come up with the rest. The boy knew that his father could not be present to help him, and so he did not dare to do anything to help himself.