125. The Origin of White Corn, or Kanĕñhagĕñät
In ancient times there lived a community of people at the foot of a very high, steep, and rugged cliff. There came a day when they heard the plaintive singing of a woman, who seemed to be on the top of this almost inaccessible mountain. The mysterious woman directed the words of her songs to a very old but highly respected man of this small community. The burden of the songs was expressed by the words: “Oh! kinsman of my father’s brother, come up here; I indeed desire greatly to become your wife.” These words gave much anxiety to the people who heard them, but the old man paid no attention to them.
The woman, seemingly on the mountain top, continued to sing daily, however, and finally some of the people urged the old man to go up to the summit to learn the designs of the persistent singer. But he excused himself, saying: “The mountain is so steep and rugged, and I am now become so aged that I do not feel able to make the attempt to climb its side.”
But the woman on the height, continuing her singing from day to day, and the anxiety of the people becoming very marked, the chiefs of the community in council finally requested the old man, whom they highly respected, to go to the mountain top to unravel, if possible, the meaning of the mysterious singing. They represented to him the importance of this mission, since the persistent singing might have some relation to the welfare of the community at large.
After long meditation he replied to the request of the council, “Oh, my chiefs! at your request I will go to the mountain top to learn, if it be possible, the meaning of this woman’s singing.” [[653]]
Having made the necessary preparations the old man started, and after overcoming many difficulties he finally reached the summit of the mountain. There he saw a young, fine-looking woman, who stood not far from the brink of the cliff. She had been standing in that position while he was painfully wending his way up the mountain side and urged him to have patience and courage to persist in his attempt to climb the mountain. Seeing that he had reached the top of the mountain, the young woman beckoned him to her side, at the same time saying: “Do thou come to me, Oh, my friend! I desire to share my mat with thee.” Drawing near to the young woman, the aged man said kindly to her: “I am unfortunately past the age when it might have been in my power to comply with your request.” But the young woman replied: “Fear not, but draw near me. I will endow thee with the power which will enable thee to comply with my desire. So come close to me. Now, mark my words and carefully cherish them. Out of the ground at the spot whereon I have lain a plant shall sprout and grow. Care tenderly for this, for it shall be a boon to your people, a chief source of food to them; and it shall be called Kanĕñhagĕñät; that is to say, White Corn. In five days from now you must return to care for what you will find growing out of the ground, as I have already told you. As for me, I shall die.” The aged man drew near the woman and embraced her. Time passed and he swooned. When he finally recovered his senses he discovered that the young woman had disappeared—vanished into thin air—and he believed that he had embraced a vision. Arising from the ground, he returned to his people at the foot of the mountain.
Remembering the words of the young woman to the effect that he must return to the mountain top to obtain a mysterious plant, at the end of five days the old man returned to the summit. There he found on the spot whereon the young woman had lain a growing corn plant. He carefully pruned away from it all weeds and placed rich, fine earth around its rootlets, and also watered it from a neighboring spring.
Taking great delight in caring for this corn plant, the aged man came frequently to the mountain top to attend to it. In course of time it had grown to maturity, bearing three ripened ears of white corn. These he carefully husked and carried back to his lodge. In the spring he assembled all the people of the community and divided the corn among them equally, a few grains to each family; and he instructed them in the method of planting and caring for the corn, telling them that in time it would become one of their staple food plants. Such is, it is said, the manner in which the white corn originated among the Tuscarora, who have generously shared the seed with neighboring tribes and kindred. [[654]]
126. The Origin of the Porcupine People or Clan[450]
In ancient times, it is said, a people dwelling in a certain country, having become very numerous, decided to divide into equal parts their hunting grounds and the game animals living on them. This division of lands took place at a public assembly.
It was solemnly agreed that all persons should respect the boundary marks separating their own lands from those of their neighbors; that no person should cross such boundary lines for the purpose of hunting game animals; and that any person violating this agreement would be guilty of trespass. The part assigned to every family (ohwachira) was, indeed, very large, being considered sufficiently extensive to provide sustenance for that family. It was still further agreed that when the trespass should be discovered the aggrieved people might, after learning all the facts in the case, exterminate the family of the transgressor, unless a suitable expiatory recompense were offered and accepted from such clan and family. This compact was solemnly kept for many years and the several contracting clans or peoples lived in great harmony.
There came a day, however, when a hunter from one of these neighboring clans deliberately violated the compact of his clan with their neighbors by crossing the boundary line into the territory of an adjoining people and there killing some game animal. His act, which was soon discovered, led to a long and bloody war between the two families, resulting in the virtual extermination of the clan of the offender.
Only one man escaped the vengeance of the offended family. He saved himself by flight from his home and succeeded in avoiding his pursuers by dropping into a deep cavern in a rocky cliff far from his land. Having passed through the entrance of the cavern, the man saw that the passage led to a very large open space, which he found to be well lighted. In the center of a spacious field he saw a lodge, which attracted his attention. While watching for some sign of life in the lodge, he was gratified to see a woman emerge therefrom and then reenter.
Going back into the passageway to the cavern, the man kept a close watch on the lodge. In a short time another woman came out, followed by the woman he had first seen. The two walked splay-footed toward the place where the fugitive had concealed himself. On reaching the opening of the cavern they stopped, and one said to the other: “Let us go back home, for I smell the smoke of a fire.” Thereupon the two started back down from the entrance. So they quickly returned to the lodge and at once reentered it. Shortly afterward a man came out of the lodge. He shook himself as a dog shakes himself after coming up out of the water, and it seemed to the fugitive [[655]]that the place became lighter.[450a] The man came directly to the mouth of the cavern and then returned to the lodge. He told the women that the scent in the entrance was not that of smoke but of a human being.
Again the two women came forth, this time to find the source of the human odor that scented the cavern’s mouth. They were not long in discovering the man, who had seated himself near the entrance. Approaching him, the elder woman said: “Whence have you come, Human Being?” In reply the man said: “I came in here to conceal myself from my enemies. All my people have been killed in a day.” The elder woman answered: “We invite you to our home. Will you not come home with us?” The man replied: “I willingly accept your invitation. I will go home with you. Let us start now.”
In a short time they reached the lodge, and on entering it the brother of the two women greeted the man, saying: “Be of good cheer. Fear not. No harm will come to you. You shall not suffer any want. You shall marry my elder sister, and there is plenty of food in this lodge and in our store-cache.” The fugitive was greatly delighted with his reception, and he informed the man that he agreed to the proposals made to him by his host, and he took up his abode there with these three people.
The bridegroom was indeed very happy, for he kept saying: “I am very happy, for my wife loves me. I am indeed glad to be here in this place with you.” It was not long before he and his loving wife were blessed with an infant son. They all lived in comfort and amity.
When the man had lived in this place about 15 years and had become the father of a number of interesting children, his brother-in-law one day said to him: “The time has now arrived when you should return to the place whence you fled to this cavern home; and when you depart you should take back with you your wife and your children. They are now your own people, although they are of our blood too.”
After making the necessary preparations by packing up their small belongings, the man with his wife and children bade their kindred farewell and started for their future home. Passing through the mouth of the cavern they emerged into a dense forest of large trees, in which there were here and there bare tracts. In this region the husband and father found much game, consisting of deer, bear, wild turkeys, partridges, quail, rabbits, elk, moose, and many other animals which served as food. When they had erected a camp in a sheltered place in the forest the father spent his time in hunting to support his family. As he went from place to place through the forest he met a number of other hunters, whom he invited to visit [[656]]his camp. These visitors brought their wives along to see the newcomers. They were greatly surprised to find that the wife and the children spoke a strange language, which was not understood by any of the visitors, although easily comprehended by the husband. At last one of the visitors asked: “Of what clan are you?” directing his question to the wife of the host. The host replied for her: “She is of the Porcupine clan of the Wañʹdat tribe. I am of the Wañʹdat tribe, too.” After a long silence one of the visitors said: “How did you receive such a name?” The host replied, “The Porcupines gave me that name.” Then the visitors exclaimed: “We have found a new people, who are called Wañʹdat, and we must love them as we do our own peoples and tribes. Let us greet them as our friends.”
From this time the family of the Porcupine clan of the Wañʹdat had many friends and before a long time had passed they had become very numerous. The children of the women were called the Porcupine people. Their numbers made them powerful and influential. They were well fed and strong physically. They were fine hunters, knowing well where to find game of all kinds, where to gather nuts of all edible kinds and various kinds of berries and small fruits, and they knew also just where the wild pigeons had their roosts.
They noted the whereabouts of these places, and when the season was fully come their leaders and chiefs would call to their people in a loud voice: “Come! Let us go to feed ourselves abundantly where the wild pigeons have now prepared their roosts for the purpose of breeding.” At this time the wild pigeons were so numerous that many flocks stretched over large tracts of territory, darkening the light of the sun and making with their wings a loud rushing sound resembling that of an approaching tornado. Giving heed to the call of their leaders, the people would make the necessary preparations to go to the roosts of the wild pigeons. Having reached the designated place, the people quickly put up temporary camps and then went out at once to kill the squabs, which they brought to their lodges to broil and eat with boiled corn bread and corn soup. All were delighted with the bounty of nature—the gift of the Master of Life.
Having thus spent part of the summer killing wild pigeons, after the birds had departed, a leader among the people would say: “Oh! friends, cousins, and kindred, the deer have gone in this direction and are now fat and in good condition to be killed for food and for their skins. Let us then decamp now and go to the place where they may be found. Up and let us be going. Let us lose no time in delay.” So leaving the grounds of the pigeon roost early in the autumn, they would journey to the lands where the deer were accustomed to feed and to raise their young. There they would erect [[657]]temporary camps and make ready for the deer hunt. Then the good hunters led out small parties in quest of the deer and in this manner usually succeeded in killing large numbers of them. The venison they dried for their winter supply of food, and the skins they tanned into fine buckskin for leggings and moccasins and other garments; and so these people were warm and contented during the winter months. They shot the deer with bows and arrows and caught some with traps, in the setting of which they were adepts. Thus they made the natural food supply of their home country contribute to their welfare and comfort, and being well fed they were strong, alert, and resourceful.
These people were very observant of the phases and phenomena of nature, and had signs by which to foreknow coming events. Should they wish to know the degree of the cold of an approaching winter they would watch carefully the muskrats as they prepared their winter quarters. If the lining of the winter home of the animal was made thin the people would conclude that the coming winter would be mild; but if thick, that it would be severe.
Another sign from which they judged the severity of an approaching winter was the condition of the deerskins which they secured. If these were thin and if the hair on them was short and not close, the people would conclude that the coming winter would be mild. If the people saw the bears making their winter quarters of leaves early in the autumn they would infer that the approaching winter would be very severe.
If much hail fell during the autumn and winter the people concluded that there would be much fruit and many nuts the coming season.
Again, should a person traveling through the forest lose his way he would notice on which side of a tall straight tree trunk moss was growing. Assuming this to be the north side he would thus get his bearings.
Should a person see a rock damp from the humidity in the air he would forecast rain for the following day.
If a person observed wild ducks and wild geese disporting themselves actively in the water he would anticipate showers for three days.
The foregoing are some of the signs and omens which the Porcupine clan taught to their neighbors, and through these they were able to forecast coming events with great success. These things made the Porcupine clan of the Wañʹdat tribe noted for wisdom and foresight. [[658]]