Post by Okwes on Jun 3, 2007 15:34:32 GMT -5
Cry Because He Had No Wife - Nez Perce
Once there was a little boy. He was an orphan. This boy cried day and night
and would never be quiet. His grandmother asked him one day, "What makes you
cry?"
He said, "I cry because I want a wife." Now his grandparents knew of a girl
who lived toward the east and they sent him there. As he went along the
trail, he came to a giant's house. He went in to see the giant, who asked
him to stay to breakfast. The giant had five roasts on the fire. He had four
large roasts and one small one.
He said to the boy, "Pick out the roast you want for breakfast."
The boy picked out the small roast. Now, the four large roasts were the legs
of people that the giant had killed. The small roast was venison. The boy
knew this from what his grandmother had told him. She said, "Never eat too
much."
After breakfast he went on. On the road he came to a great rock cliff. Its
name was Cliff-Giant and it crushed people. The other giant had told him of
this one, and how to get by it.
He had said, "Turn yourself into a little dog and very slowly follow the
trail under the Rock-Cliff. Keep your eye on Rock-Cliff. When you see it
move, run fast."
He did this and escaped. Then he went on. He could see at a distance the
place where the girl lived. Until he came in sight of this lodge he had
never left off crying. Now, this girl had a great horse which would kill
people before they could reach her lodge. That was her guard. The boy picked
up two large stones and ran, still crying, toward the lodge. The animal ran
at the boy, but the boy spat all over one of the stones. When the horse came
close, he threw the stone behind him. Then the horse stopped to stamp on the
stone and the boy ran on. He was almost in reach of the lodge when he threw
the other stone. The horse stopped to stamp on that, and the boy reached the
lodge and jumped in.
Very soon the girl entered. She knew him at once and called him by name
Iwapnep ftswitki, Cry-because-he-had-no-wife. She talked to him and asked
him if he wanted a bath. So she built a fire, heated water, and prepared him
a bath. When he had taken the bath he became of man's size. Next morning
they started toward his home. When they reached this, his grandparents were
very old, because he had been gone many years.
The girl said to her husband: "You tell your grandparents to do nothing
wrong to-night. If they obey, I will give them a bath that will make them
young again."
In the morning she did so; but they had not obeyed her directions so they
did not become young again. The next night they were both dead. Then the
girl and her husband started for her old home. They rode back on the great
horse but he did not go very well. They made a whip out of black haw.
The whip said to them, "I can outlast all other whips."
They made a whip out of smoke-wood (Coyote-rope). This whip said, "When the
giant gets too close, throw me down and I will tangle up the giant." They
made a whip out of mud. This whip said, "Throw me down and I will mire the
giant."
They made a whip out of slide-rock. This whip said, "Throw me down and the
giant will have trouble in getting by." They made a whip out of red haw.
This whip said, "Throw me down, and I will tear the giant's flesh."
They made a whip out of big mountains. This whip said, "Throw me down and
the giant will not be able to get past me."
When they had finished all the whips, they started to pass the giant's
house.
The giant rushed out and cried, "Give me your wife!" The boy answered, "Get
me a drink of water and I will give you my wife."
When the giant went to get the water, the boy whipped up the horse and
hurried on. They had gone some ways when the giant came out. They threw down
the whip of black haw. He almost overtook them and they threw down the whip
of smoke-wood. It tangled up the giant until they got away. When the giant
almost overtook them again, they threw down the mud whip and he was mired.
When the giant almost overtook them the fourth time, they threw down the
slide-rock whip and the giant had great trouble in getting by. When the
giant almost overtook them the fifth time, they threw down the red-haw whip,
and it tore the flesh of the giant. And when the giant almost overtook them
the sixth time, they threw down the whip of high mountains and he could not
cross it. Thus they escaped.
Myths and legends of the Pacific Northwest, especially of Washington and
Oregon, by Judson, Katharine Berry, Chicago : A.C. McClurg, 1912, c1910
Once there was a little boy. He was an orphan. This boy cried day and night
and would never be quiet. His grandmother asked him one day, "What makes you
cry?"
He said, "I cry because I want a wife." Now his grandparents knew of a girl
who lived toward the east and they sent him there. As he went along the
trail, he came to a giant's house. He went in to see the giant, who asked
him to stay to breakfast. The giant had five roasts on the fire. He had four
large roasts and one small one.
He said to the boy, "Pick out the roast you want for breakfast."
The boy picked out the small roast. Now, the four large roasts were the legs
of people that the giant had killed. The small roast was venison. The boy
knew this from what his grandmother had told him. She said, "Never eat too
much."
After breakfast he went on. On the road he came to a great rock cliff. Its
name was Cliff-Giant and it crushed people. The other giant had told him of
this one, and how to get by it.
He had said, "Turn yourself into a little dog and very slowly follow the
trail under the Rock-Cliff. Keep your eye on Rock-Cliff. When you see it
move, run fast."
He did this and escaped. Then he went on. He could see at a distance the
place where the girl lived. Until he came in sight of this lodge he had
never left off crying. Now, this girl had a great horse which would kill
people before they could reach her lodge. That was her guard. The boy picked
up two large stones and ran, still crying, toward the lodge. The animal ran
at the boy, but the boy spat all over one of the stones. When the horse came
close, he threw the stone behind him. Then the horse stopped to stamp on the
stone and the boy ran on. He was almost in reach of the lodge when he threw
the other stone. The horse stopped to stamp on that, and the boy reached the
lodge and jumped in.
Very soon the girl entered. She knew him at once and called him by name
Iwapnep ftswitki, Cry-because-he-had-no-wife. She talked to him and asked
him if he wanted a bath. So she built a fire, heated water, and prepared him
a bath. When he had taken the bath he became of man's size. Next morning
they started toward his home. When they reached this, his grandparents were
very old, because he had been gone many years.
The girl said to her husband: "You tell your grandparents to do nothing
wrong to-night. If they obey, I will give them a bath that will make them
young again."
In the morning she did so; but they had not obeyed her directions so they
did not become young again. The next night they were both dead. Then the
girl and her husband started for her old home. They rode back on the great
horse but he did not go very well. They made a whip out of black haw.
The whip said to them, "I can outlast all other whips."
They made a whip out of smoke-wood (Coyote-rope). This whip said, "When the
giant gets too close, throw me down and I will tangle up the giant." They
made a whip out of mud. This whip said, "Throw me down and I will mire the
giant."
They made a whip out of slide-rock. This whip said, "Throw me down and the
giant will have trouble in getting by." They made a whip out of red haw.
This whip said, "Throw me down, and I will tear the giant's flesh."
They made a whip out of big mountains. This whip said, "Throw me down and
the giant will not be able to get past me."
When they had finished all the whips, they started to pass the giant's
house.
The giant rushed out and cried, "Give me your wife!" The boy answered, "Get
me a drink of water and I will give you my wife."
When the giant went to get the water, the boy whipped up the horse and
hurried on. They had gone some ways when the giant came out. They threw down
the whip of black haw. He almost overtook them and they threw down the whip
of smoke-wood. It tangled up the giant until they got away. When the giant
almost overtook them again, they threw down the mud whip and he was mired.
When the giant almost overtook them the fourth time, they threw down the
slide-rock whip and the giant had great trouble in getting by. When the
giant almost overtook them the fifth time, they threw down the red-haw whip,
and it tore the flesh of the giant. And when the giant almost overtook them
the sixth time, they threw down the whip of high mountains and he could not
cross it. Thus they escaped.
Myths and legends of the Pacific Northwest, especially of Washington and
Oregon, by Judson, Katharine Berry, Chicago : A.C. McClurg, 1912, c1910