Post by Okwes on Sept 21, 2007 0:56:32 GMT -5
Evening-Star And Orphan-Star - Caddo
A poor orphan boy lived with a large family of people who were not kind to
him and mistreated him. He could not go to play or hunt with the other boys,
but had to do all of the hard work. Whenever the camp broke up the family
always tried to steal away and leave the boy behind, but sooner or later he
found their new camp and went to them because he had no other place to go.
One time several families went in boats to an island in a large lake to hunt
eggs, and the orphan boy went with them. After they had filled their boats
with eggs they secretly made ready to go back to the mainland. In the night,
while the orphan boy was asleep, they stole away in their boats, leaving him
to starve on the lonely island. The boy wandered about the island, eating
only the scraps that he could find around the dead camp fires, until he was
almost starved. As he did not have a bow and arrows, he could not hunt, but
he sat by the water's edge and tried to catch fish as they swam past him.
One day as he sat on the lonely shore he saw a large animal with horns
coming to him through the water. He sat very still and watched the animal,
for he was too frightened to run away. The monster came straight to him,
then raised his head out of the water and said: "Boy, I have come to save
you. I saw the people desert you and I have taken pity upon you and come to
rescue you. Get upon my back and hold to my horns and I will carry you to
the mainland." The boy was no longer afraid, but climbed upon the animal's
back. "Keep your eyes on the blue sky, and if you see a star tell me at
once," the animal said to him. They had not gone far when the boy cried,
"There in the west is a big star." The monster looked up and saw the star,
then turned around at once and swam back to the island as fast as he could.
The next day he came and took the boy again, telling him, as before, to call
out the moment that he saw a star appear in the sky. They had gone a little
farther than they had the day before when the boy cried out, "There in the
west is a star." The animal turned around and went to the shore. The next
day and the next four days he started with the boy, and each time he
succeeded in getting a little farther before the boy saw the star. The sixth
time they were within a few feet of the opposite shore when the boy saw the
star. He wanted to reach the shore so badly that he thought he would keep
still and not tell the monster that he saw the star, for he knew that he
would take him back to the island at once if he did. He said nothing, and so
the monster swam on until they were almost in shallow water, when the boy
saw a great black cloud roll in front of the star. He became frightened and
jumped off of the animal's back and swam to the shore. Just as he jumped
something struck the animal with an awful crash and he rolled over dead.
When the boy came upon the shore a handsome young man came up to him and
said: "You have done me a great favor. For a long time I have tried to kill
this monster, because he makes the water of the lake dangerous, but until
now I could never get the chance. In return for what you have done, I will
take you with me to the sky, if you care to go." The boy said that he wanted
to go, as he was alone and friendless upon the earth. The man, who was
Evening-Star, took him with him to the sky, and there he may be seen as
Orphan-Star who stands near Evening-Star.
Traditions of the Caddo, By George A. Dorsey, collected 1903-1905, under the
auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington
A poor orphan boy lived with a large family of people who were not kind to
him and mistreated him. He could not go to play or hunt with the other boys,
but had to do all of the hard work. Whenever the camp broke up the family
always tried to steal away and leave the boy behind, but sooner or later he
found their new camp and went to them because he had no other place to go.
One time several families went in boats to an island in a large lake to hunt
eggs, and the orphan boy went with them. After they had filled their boats
with eggs they secretly made ready to go back to the mainland. In the night,
while the orphan boy was asleep, they stole away in their boats, leaving him
to starve on the lonely island. The boy wandered about the island, eating
only the scraps that he could find around the dead camp fires, until he was
almost starved. As he did not have a bow and arrows, he could not hunt, but
he sat by the water's edge and tried to catch fish as they swam past him.
One day as he sat on the lonely shore he saw a large animal with horns
coming to him through the water. He sat very still and watched the animal,
for he was too frightened to run away. The monster came straight to him,
then raised his head out of the water and said: "Boy, I have come to save
you. I saw the people desert you and I have taken pity upon you and come to
rescue you. Get upon my back and hold to my horns and I will carry you to
the mainland." The boy was no longer afraid, but climbed upon the animal's
back. "Keep your eyes on the blue sky, and if you see a star tell me at
once," the animal said to him. They had not gone far when the boy cried,
"There in the west is a big star." The monster looked up and saw the star,
then turned around at once and swam back to the island as fast as he could.
The next day he came and took the boy again, telling him, as before, to call
out the moment that he saw a star appear in the sky. They had gone a little
farther than they had the day before when the boy cried out, "There in the
west is a star." The animal turned around and went to the shore. The next
day and the next four days he started with the boy, and each time he
succeeded in getting a little farther before the boy saw the star. The sixth
time they were within a few feet of the opposite shore when the boy saw the
star. He wanted to reach the shore so badly that he thought he would keep
still and not tell the monster that he saw the star, for he knew that he
would take him back to the island at once if he did. He said nothing, and so
the monster swam on until they were almost in shallow water, when the boy
saw a great black cloud roll in front of the star. He became frightened and
jumped off of the animal's back and swam to the shore. Just as he jumped
something struck the animal with an awful crash and he rolled over dead.
When the boy came upon the shore a handsome young man came up to him and
said: "You have done me a great favor. For a long time I have tried to kill
this monster, because he makes the water of the lake dangerous, but until
now I could never get the chance. In return for what you have done, I will
take you with me to the sky, if you care to go." The boy said that he wanted
to go, as he was alone and friendless upon the earth. The man, who was
Evening-Star, took him with him to the sky, and there he may be seen as
Orphan-Star who stands near Evening-Star.
Traditions of the Caddo, By George A. Dorsey, collected 1903-1905, under the
auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington
