Post by Okwes on Jun 29, 2007 18:50:35 GMT -5
Doing a Trick with Eyeballs - Cheyenne
Veeho is like some tourists who come into an Indian village not knowing how
to behave or what to do, trying to impress everybody. One day Veeho met a
medicine man with great powers. This man thought to amuse Veeho -- and
himself -- with a little trick.
"Eyeballs," he shouted, "I command you to fly out of my head and hang on
that tree over there."
At once his eyeballs shot out of his head and in a flash were hanging from a
tree branch. Veeho watched open-mouthed.
"Ho! Eyeballs!" cried the medicine man, "now come back where you belong!"
And quick as lightning, the eyeballs were back where they ought to be.
"Uncle," said Veeho, "please give me a little of your power so that I too
can do this wonderful trick." To himself Veeho was thinking, "Then I can set
up as a medicine man; then people will look up to me, especially
good-looking girls; then people will give me many gifts!"
"Why not?" said the medicine man. "Why not give you a little power to please
you? But, listen, Veeho, don't do this trick more than four times a day, or
your eyeballs won't come back."
Veeho could hardly wait to get away and try out this stunning trick. As soon
as he was alone, he ordered: "Eyeballs, hop on that ledge over there. Jump
to it!" And the eyeballs did. Veeho couldn't see a thing. "Quickly,
eyeballs, back into your sockets!" The eyeballs obeyed. "Boy, oh boy," Veeho
said to himself, "what a big man I am. Powerful, really powerful." Soon he
saw another tree. "Eyeballs, up into that tree, quick!" For a second time
the eyeballs did as they were told. "Back into the skull!" Veeho shouted,
snapping his fingers. And once more the eyeballs jumped back. Veeho was
enjoying himself, getting used to this marvelous trick. He couldn't stop.
Twice more he performed it. "Well, that's it for today," he said.
Later he came to a big village and wanted to impress the people with his
powers. "Would you believe it, cousins," he told them, "I can make my
eyeballs jump out of my head, fly over to that tree, hang themselves from a
branch, and come back when I tell them."
The people, of course, didn't believe him; they laughed. Veeho grew angry.
"It's true, it's true!" he cried. "You stupid people, I can do it."
"Show us," said the people.
"How often have I done this trick?" Veeho tried to remember. "Four times?
No, no. The first time was only for practice; it doesn't count. I can still
show these dummies something." And he commanded: "Eyeballs, hang yourselves
on a branch of that tree!" The eyeballs did, and a great cry of wonder and
astonishment went up. "There, you louts, didn't I tell you?" said Veeho,
strutting around, puffing himself up.
After a while he said: "All right, eyeballs, comeback!" But the eyeballs
stayed up in the tree. "Come back, come back, you no-good eyeballs!" Veeho
cried again and again, but the eyeballs stayed put.
Finally a big fat crow lighted on that tree and gobbled them up. "Mm, good,"
said the crow, "very tasty." The people laughed at Veeho, shook their heads,
and went away. Veeho was blind now. He didn't know what to do. He groped
through the forest. He stumbled. He ran into trees. He sat down by a stone
and cried.
He heard a squeaking sound. It was a mouse calling other mice. "Mouse,
little mouse," cried Veeho, "I am blind. Please lend me one of your eyes so
that I can see again."
"My eyes are tiny," said the mouse, "much too tiny. What good would one of
them do you? It wouldn't fit." But Veeho begged so pitifully that the mouse
finally gave him an eye, saying: "I guess I can get along with the other
one."
So Veeho had one eye, but it was very small indeed. What he saw was just a
tiny speck of light. Still, it was better than nothing. Veeho staggered on
and met a buffalo. "Buffalo brother," he begged, "I have to get along with
just this one tiny mouse eye. How can a big man like me make do with that?
Have pity on me, brother, and lend me one of your big, beautiful eyes."
"What good would one of my eyes do you?" asked the buffalo. "It's much too
big for your eye-hole."
But Veeho begged and wept and wheedled until the buffalo said: "Well, all
right, I'll let you have one. I can't stand listening to you carrying on
like that. I guess I can get by with one eye."
And so Veeho had his second eye. The buffalo bull's eye was much too big. It
stuck out of its socket like a shinny ball boys like to play with. It made
everything look twice as big as his own eyes had. And since the mouse eye
saw everything ten times smaller, Veeho got a bad headache. But what could
he do? It was better than being blind.
"It's a bad mess, though," said Veeho. Veeho went back to his wife and
lodge. His wife looked at him. "I believe your eyes are a little
mismatched," she told him. And he described all that had happened to him.
"You know," she said, "I think you should stop fooling around, trying to
impress people with your tricks."
"I guess so, " said Veeho.
Told by Rachel Strange Owl in Birney, Montana, 1971
Veeho is like some tourists who come into an Indian village not knowing how
to behave or what to do, trying to impress everybody. One day Veeho met a
medicine man with great powers. This man thought to amuse Veeho -- and
himself -- with a little trick.
"Eyeballs," he shouted, "I command you to fly out of my head and hang on
that tree over there."
At once his eyeballs shot out of his head and in a flash were hanging from a
tree branch. Veeho watched open-mouthed.
"Ho! Eyeballs!" cried the medicine man, "now come back where you belong!"
And quick as lightning, the eyeballs were back where they ought to be.
"Uncle," said Veeho, "please give me a little of your power so that I too
can do this wonderful trick." To himself Veeho was thinking, "Then I can set
up as a medicine man; then people will look up to me, especially
good-looking girls; then people will give me many gifts!"
"Why not?" said the medicine man. "Why not give you a little power to please
you? But, listen, Veeho, don't do this trick more than four times a day, or
your eyeballs won't come back."
Veeho could hardly wait to get away and try out this stunning trick. As soon
as he was alone, he ordered: "Eyeballs, hop on that ledge over there. Jump
to it!" And the eyeballs did. Veeho couldn't see a thing. "Quickly,
eyeballs, back into your sockets!" The eyeballs obeyed. "Boy, oh boy," Veeho
said to himself, "what a big man I am. Powerful, really powerful." Soon he
saw another tree. "Eyeballs, up into that tree, quick!" For a second time
the eyeballs did as they were told. "Back into the skull!" Veeho shouted,
snapping his fingers. And once more the eyeballs jumped back. Veeho was
enjoying himself, getting used to this marvelous trick. He couldn't stop.
Twice more he performed it. "Well, that's it for today," he said.
Later he came to a big village and wanted to impress the people with his
powers. "Would you believe it, cousins," he told them, "I can make my
eyeballs jump out of my head, fly over to that tree, hang themselves from a
branch, and come back when I tell them."
The people, of course, didn't believe him; they laughed. Veeho grew angry.
"It's true, it's true!" he cried. "You stupid people, I can do it."
"Show us," said the people.
"How often have I done this trick?" Veeho tried to remember. "Four times?
No, no. The first time was only for practice; it doesn't count. I can still
show these dummies something." And he commanded: "Eyeballs, hang yourselves
on a branch of that tree!" The eyeballs did, and a great cry of wonder and
astonishment went up. "There, you louts, didn't I tell you?" said Veeho,
strutting around, puffing himself up.
After a while he said: "All right, eyeballs, comeback!" But the eyeballs
stayed up in the tree. "Come back, come back, you no-good eyeballs!" Veeho
cried again and again, but the eyeballs stayed put.
Finally a big fat crow lighted on that tree and gobbled them up. "Mm, good,"
said the crow, "very tasty." The people laughed at Veeho, shook their heads,
and went away. Veeho was blind now. He didn't know what to do. He groped
through the forest. He stumbled. He ran into trees. He sat down by a stone
and cried.
He heard a squeaking sound. It was a mouse calling other mice. "Mouse,
little mouse," cried Veeho, "I am blind. Please lend me one of your eyes so
that I can see again."
"My eyes are tiny," said the mouse, "much too tiny. What good would one of
them do you? It wouldn't fit." But Veeho begged so pitifully that the mouse
finally gave him an eye, saying: "I guess I can get along with the other
one."
So Veeho had one eye, but it was very small indeed. What he saw was just a
tiny speck of light. Still, it was better than nothing. Veeho staggered on
and met a buffalo. "Buffalo brother," he begged, "I have to get along with
just this one tiny mouse eye. How can a big man like me make do with that?
Have pity on me, brother, and lend me one of your big, beautiful eyes."
"What good would one of my eyes do you?" asked the buffalo. "It's much too
big for your eye-hole."
But Veeho begged and wept and wheedled until the buffalo said: "Well, all
right, I'll let you have one. I can't stand listening to you carrying on
like that. I guess I can get by with one eye."
And so Veeho had his second eye. The buffalo bull's eye was much too big. It
stuck out of its socket like a shinny ball boys like to play with. It made
everything look twice as big as his own eyes had. And since the mouse eye
saw everything ten times smaller, Veeho got a bad headache. But what could
he do? It was better than being blind.
"It's a bad mess, though," said Veeho. Veeho went back to his wife and
lodge. His wife looked at him. "I believe your eyes are a little
mismatched," she told him. And he described all that had happened to him.
"You know," she said, "I think you should stop fooling around, trying to
impress people with your tricks."
"I guess so, " said Veeho.
Told by Rachel Strange Owl in Birney, Montana, 1971