Fisher-Man - Maidu

[blackcrowheart]

Fisher-Man - Maidu

Long ago Fisher-Man lived with his elder brothers in a sweat-house, they
say. Now he said to the Cottontail people, "Ye must remain at home, ye must
stay here! I shall go away. Ye must stay close, must not go about. Thither,
in that direction, I shall go in the morning." Then he went.

Now, all those people, those boys, staid there. He had explained to them
when he would return. "So many times dawning, at the sixth dawning I (shall)
have returned," said he, "if other people do not choke me on the road. Do ye
stay there close (at home)." So they staid.

In the morning one of them crawled out when it was dawning. After he had sat
a while, standing up, (he went and) sat on the edge of the smoke-hole. Now
opposite, they say, that Wood-Rat lived in a sweat-house with his
grandmother. From thence Wood-Rat crawled out. "How are you?" said he, said
Wood-Rat.

"Ugly Wood-Rat-Man, defecating on his grandmother's blanket, stinking,
defecating all over the house, urinating all about, dirty-acting Wood-Rat!"
said (Cottontail). "His house stinks," he said. Then Wood-Rat-Man said,
"Ham, ham! My grandmother, bring out my net! He calls me very bad names."
Then she brought it out.

Then, having walked over, he stretched it across the door of the house. Then
he stamped on the house (Cottontail's). He kept stamping, and then one (of
the Cottontails) jumped out; and just as he did so, he was caught in the
net. After a while, after he had gotten into (the net), Wood-Rat carried him
across. And carrying him home, when he had carried him in, his grandmother
skinned (the Cottontail) and cooked him; and, roasting him, they both had
breakfast.

Next morning, crawling out, Wood-Rat said, "Halloo!" Then one (of the
Cottontails) stuck his head out. "Dirty, ugly Wood-Rat, defecating on his
grandmother, urinating about, making things dirty, Wood-Rat, who stays where
he has made it stink!" said he. Then he jumped in again.

Then, "Ham, ham!" said (Wood-Rat). "He speaks evilly of me! My grandmother,
hand out my net!" Thereupon he went over, and having gone over, and
stretched the net in the doorway, he stamped, kept stamping, (on the roof).
Then one (of the Cottontails) rushed out, and so was caught in the net.
Meanwhile, having got him into the net, Wood-Rat carried him off. He carried
him over to his grandmother; and, having given him to her, she skinned him,
and they both had breakfast.

Next morning, again, Wood-Rat crawled out. Then. he said, "Sii!" Then one
(of the Cottontails) stuck his head out repeatedly. "Bad Wood-Rat,
defecating on his grandmother's blanket, one who does dirty things,
urinating all about the house, Wood-Rat, who does dirty things that make
things stink!" he said. Then Wood-Rat said, "Ham, ham, ham! He calls me very
bad names. Hurry and give me my net, my grandmother!" Then she gave it to
him.

Having gone over, he stretched it in the doorway, and then stamped on the
house, kept stamping. By and by one rushed out, and was caught in the net.
Then, having got him into the net, he carried him over. Meanwhile only one
(Cottontail) was left, (who) had crawled over behind the fireplace. Now,
Wood-Rat, having carried (the one he had caught) over, they skinned him,
roasted him, and had their breakfast.

Next morning, again, (Wood-Rat) crawled out. "Sh!" he said. But no one stuck
out his head. Then said he, "There are none left. I have killed them all."
Next morning, again, (Wood-Rat) stuck his head out. "Hii," he said. Again no
one looked out. "Well, my grandmother, I think I have killed them all," he
said. "I did not see any, none crawled out." Then he remained there. Next
day again he looked out. "Si!" he said, but nobody looked out. "I guess I
have killed them all," he said.

That night, as it grew dark, Fisher-Man returned. He crawled in, and then
(found) all had gone. Then one crawled out toward him from behind the fire,
and said, "Wood-Rat chased us; and when he stamped on the house, (the
others) ran out, and then he killed them," he said. "He continued doing this
until he killed them all. I alone, not jumping out, (but) hiding and not
moving, have kept alive." Then Fisher-Man said, "Ho!"

In the morning Fisher went after him (Wood-Rat). Crossing over, he reached
(the house), and, having crawled in, he killed both, grandmother and
grandson. Then he spoke. "Now you are Wood-Rat-Man! Not bothering people,
you shall live and run about where rocks lie all around, doing no harm to
people," said he. "And mortal men shall say of you, 'Long ago Wood-Rat was a
bad man.' So mortal men (will) tell of you." Then he went over, and, having
returned to his house, remained there.

In the morning, having fixed his bow, and having taken three quivers full of
arrows, he went off. He went towards the east, and kept going, kept going.
His brothers staid under a bush. Then, after he had gone some ways, he hung
up one quiver of arrows, and went on. He kept going, kept going, and then a
little ways off he hung up another quiver of arrows. He went on, kept going,
and again a short ways off he came to a valley, a large valley.

When he had looked down into it here and there, (he saw) there were brown
bears feeding, and grizzly bears also feeding, it is said. One was feeding
there in the very middle (of the valley). And it was a white bear, it is
said, a silver-tip. So he (Fisher), having crept down into (the valley),
ready to shoot, shot him.

Then from there (the bear) ran after him, jumped at him, trying to catch
him. And he (Fisher) ran up out of the valley. Meanwhile he kept shooting,
and still continued to run up out of the valley, the bear jumping at him to
seize him. He kept shooting; he shot dodging from side to side, he shot
whatever he had (?).

Meanwhile (the bear) jumped at him to seize him in his mouth. He (Fisher)
kept running away and when all his arrows were shot, he reached the place
where he had left the arrows, and, taking them down, he ran on up. He kept
on shooting, and still (the bear) jumped at him to seize him in his mouth.
Again it seems as if he came a little closer. He (Fisher) ran, dodging all
the time, dodged as he ran. And meanwhile he shot. Only half his arrows were
left, he had almost shot them all away.

Meanwhile he ran on, he dodged, he shot. And, so doing, he shot all his
arrows. And all being gone, he ran to the place where he had hung tip his
arrows, and, having taken them down, he shot. The bear jumped to seize him
in his arms, (but,) dodging as he ran, (Fisher) kept shooting. So
continually shooting, (the bear) coming running up pretty close, he shot,
dodging as he ran. And, so doing, he ran round and about the place where he
had made his brothers stay. Meanwhile (the bear) still ran after him. And
while he was doing thus, he (Fisher) killed him.

Then he spoke. "You shall be bad. You shall not trouble mortal men when they
see you," he said, speaking after he had killed him. "You shall not hunt to
seize mortal men coming into the middle of this world. That, mortal men in
story-telling, (shall say) of you. Then, 'Silver-Tip in the olden time
killed people, (was) a killer, they say. Killing them, he was sent away from
this world, they say. And then, they say, there were no Silver-Tips.' That
(is what) mortal men (will) be saying of you," he said.

Then he said, "Well, my brother! You must live on, staying in this sort of a
place, staying squatting down under bushes. I shall be a traveller in this
world in all countries; but you will be one who shall stay travelling about
in this country only, going about only in this country," said he, speaking.
Then he went on. "Well," said he, "I am going," said he. "Stay there!" said
he, and he went off. And when he looked back, the ears (of the Cottontail)
were shimmering (quivering?). So he went off, after looking back. That is
all, it is said.

Maidu Texts, by Roland B. Dixon; Publications of the American Ethnological
Society, Volume IV; Late E. J. Brill Publishers and Printers, Leyden, [1912]
and is now in the public domain.