Post by blackcrowheart on Jan 21, 2008 10:28:35 GMT -5
Fixing The Sun - Yana
Sun lived at Hi'tsiriha, three miles up from P'a'wi. There was a small hill
there of red earth. The people went out to hunt, but did not stay long.
Sunset came quickly, the day was short. It was a great trouble. Everyone was
in trouble. "What shall we do about it? If the sun came up far off to the
east and not right here near us, it would be all right." But the sun was in
the center of the world, and that was the cause of the trouble.
The people all got together and talked it over. They asked Cottontail Rabbit
and Blue Squirrel. "We have got to move
the sun." Rabbit said, "Yes, we'll do it." The, people asked, "How?" Rabbit
said, "We'll carry it on our backs. When I'm tired, Squirrel can take it."
"Where will you put it?" "We'll put it over the mountains far off to the
east." They started to carry it, carried it off to the east. When they got
tired, they changed off. They carried the sun far, far away, to where he now
comes up.
Yana Texts, by Edward Sapir. University of California Publications in
American Archaeology and Ethnology Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1-235 [1910] and is
now in the public domain
Sun lived at Hi'tsiriha, three miles up from P'a'wi. There was a small hill
there of red earth. The people went out to hunt, but did not stay long.
Sunset came quickly, the day was short. It was a great trouble. Everyone was
in trouble. "What shall we do about it? If the sun came up far off to the
east and not right here near us, it would be all right." But the sun was in
the center of the world, and that was the cause of the trouble.
The people all got together and talked it over. They asked Cottontail Rabbit
and Blue Squirrel. "We have got to move
the sun." Rabbit said, "Yes, we'll do it." The, people asked, "How?" Rabbit
said, "We'll carry it on our backs. When I'm tired, Squirrel can take it."
"Where will you put it?" "We'll put it over the mountains far off to the
east." They started to carry it, carried it off to the east. When they got
tired, they changed off. They carried the sun far, far away, to where he now
comes up.
Yana Texts, by Edward Sapir. University of California Publications in
American Archaeology and Ethnology Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1-235 [1910] and is
now in the public domain