Post by Okwes on Apr 14, 2008 13:37:54 GMT -5
Grasshopper loses His Leg: How Gila Monster Got His Name - Apache / White
Mountain
Long, long ago, when all the people were living far to the north, at
tajbako-wa' (camps by dance ground), there were Mexicans living with the
ba-tci2 at a place on fusila-'edilvuj (Cutter Wash, at its junction with the
San Carlos Valley). There used to be lots of them living there and you can
still see the stone walls of their old houses (prehistoric pueblo ruins).
Later on they all moved over to Tucson where they still are. Our people used
to come down from talbako-wa' to this place, t'usila, on hunting trips. One
time a war party started down and came to this place. Here they got in a
fight with the ba-tci and Grasshopper had his leg shot off. The war party
started back to talbako-wa'. When they got there, they said that Grasshopper
was shot and killed by the Mexicans in the fight. "He is not killed, he got
back this morning before you. There he is running around over there," the
people in camp said.
Then Turtle and Gila Monster started off from talbako-wa' to hunt. They
traveled on down by t'usila and there some Mexicans and ba-tci surrounded
them. Turtle said to Gila Monster, "Come over here and stand by my shell, it
is hard and you won't get hurt." Gila Monster went over to him and from that
place he shot and killed a Mexican woman. Gila Monster went over to the dead
woman and crawled under her skirt, between her legs. "What's this here, like
meat coming together in two parts," he called to Turtle. Turtle said,
"Because of this, your name will be le-nenlai (two parts meeting) from now
on." When he left talbako-wa' he had another name, but when he went back he
was known by this new name and he still is known by it.
Told by Francis Drake
Taken from Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache by Grenville
Goodwin, 1934
Mountain
Long, long ago, when all the people were living far to the north, at
tajbako-wa' (camps by dance ground), there were Mexicans living with the
ba-tci2 at a place on fusila-'edilvuj (Cutter Wash, at its junction with the
San Carlos Valley). There used to be lots of them living there and you can
still see the stone walls of their old houses (prehistoric pueblo ruins).
Later on they all moved over to Tucson where they still are. Our people used
to come down from talbako-wa' to this place, t'usila, on hunting trips. One
time a war party started down and came to this place. Here they got in a
fight with the ba-tci and Grasshopper had his leg shot off. The war party
started back to talbako-wa'. When they got there, they said that Grasshopper
was shot and killed by the Mexicans in the fight. "He is not killed, he got
back this morning before you. There he is running around over there," the
people in camp said.
Then Turtle and Gila Monster started off from talbako-wa' to hunt. They
traveled on down by t'usila and there some Mexicans and ba-tci surrounded
them. Turtle said to Gila Monster, "Come over here and stand by my shell, it
is hard and you won't get hurt." Gila Monster went over to him and from that
place he shot and killed a Mexican woman. Gila Monster went over to the dead
woman and crawled under her skirt, between her legs. "What's this here, like
meat coming together in two parts," he called to Turtle. Turtle said,
"Because of this, your name will be le-nenlai (two parts meeting) from now
on." When he left talbako-wa' he had another name, but when he went back he
was known by this new name and he still is known by it.
Told by Francis Drake
Taken from Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache by Grenville
Goodwin, 1934