Seneca myths and folk tales

by Arthur C. Parker

When he had traveled a long ways he saw something moving in the rocks ahead of him. Concealing himself in a hole he watched. Soon he saw two stone coated women approaching. They were looking for food. Then did Skunniwundi know that the stone giants were eating all the game, thus making the famine.

After a while Skunniwundi noticed that one of the women took something out of a bag and placed it on the palm of her hand. As she did this she exclaimed, “Ghaah!” and commenced to walk directly toward him. At this he began to run toward a creek hoping to cross it but they were too swift for him. Hoping to escape he ran into a clump of tall trees and climbed one. The women followed his tracks to the tree and then began to look around for him. Not once did they think of looking up, for their necks would not bend. If they tried they would crack off. Failing to find him one of the giant women put her hand in her pocket and took out something again which she placed on the palm of her hand. Skunniwundi looked down and saw that it was a human finger and that it was standing up pointing at him. “Where is he?” asked the woman and the finger wriggled and pointed. This puzzled the women and Skunniwundi felt that he was secure. Soon he began to think that this finger would be a helpful possession and began to consider how he could obtain it.

The women continued at the foot of the tree and finally discovered Skunniwundi’s hatchet and arrows which he had left on the ground at the foot of the tree. One woman picked them up and began to lick them, smelling for blood.

Skunniwundi now saw that all was lost unless he hastened. So with a quick slide he came down the tree and seized the finger. With a bound he jumped into the water, but as he heard the giant women follow him he turned back under water and stood on the spot where he had dived off. The women came out of the water on the opposite shore and were greatly surprised. So they plunged in the water after him and when their heads were under Skunniwundi swam across and stood on the opposite shore. He could swim very fast now that he had the finger. When the women came out of the water they saw him where they had stood but a moment before, and were again surprised. They plunged in again and this time Skunniwundi ran very rapidly to escape them. Soon he heard the women crying, “Oh give us back the finger. We promise not to eat you.”

Skunniwundi now was filled with power and kept asking the finger where the giant women were, and by going in another direction he escaped them until he came near to his own settlement, which lay across a stream of very cold water. In he plunged and swam across.

When he arrived on the other shore, toward the village he saw a herd of deer. Fixing his bow he shot and the arrow went through seven deer killing them all. He then ran on toward the village. He showed his uncle the finger and told the people to go for the game, but they returned in fright saying that there were sounds of giants on the other side of the stream.

Skunniwundi and his uncle then went to the river and saw the giant women on the other side. “Oh Skunniwundi, give back the finger,” cried the women. “We will not molest you any more.”

“Give it to them,” said the uncle. “They will be friends with us if we appease them.”

Skunniwundi then took the finger and held it way out over the water and the giant women leaned over from the cliff on the other side and just as they were about to grasp the finger Skunniwundi drew back his hand and the women were overbalanced and fell in the river, falling head first. Down they went to the bottom, and the river froze as hard as stone, killing the stone coated women.

After that time, Skunniwundi had the finger for a hunting charm and he supplied game for the village.