Post by Okwes on Jul 24, 2007 9:59:54 GMT -5
Eagle-Woman - Coos
There was a woman living in Takimiya. (She was an) Eagle. When somebody came
there, she would marry him. Thus she would say to her husband: "We two will
go there. There is lots of fun." And she would take him to a small lake. The
lake appeared to (be full of) soft pitch. Her husband would be sitting on
her back, and the woman would fly (jump) there. Whenever she came there, she
would turn over, and her load would fall (into the lake). And the husband
would, get stuck there. He could not get out from there. He could not swim.
He would just seem to be stuck in the pitch. And he would die there. For a
long time she had been doing it that way.
So one day a man was dreaming. Such was his dream: "She is simply killing
the men, she is not marrying them." So the man went there, and thus spoke to
her: "I shall marry you." Eagle-Woman said thus to him: "Good!" So the next
day they two went to the place where she had been throwing the men. So the
man was thinking thus: "No matter what she does, I will keep on clinging to
her." Now, indeed, he saw the lake. The Eagle turned over. The man kept on
clinging there. Three times the Eagle did thus. And she became tired. And
again she flew (jumped) (to the place whence) they two came. When they two
came back, her husband said to her thus: "You are my wife. Come, let us two
go!"
So they got ready, and they two went. And he also took along his younger
brother, (so that) he might steer the canoe. The man stood in the bow, and
the woman was in the middle. Then they were going over the ocean. And the
man made waves. At each wave they went through, water filled up the canoe.
And they did this for quite a long time.
The woman seemed to get cold. And she bumped her nose and her head against
the canoe. Now, they were there a long time. The woman was very cold. She
nearly died from (with) cold. Then the two went back. When they landed
[ashore], the woman also went ashore, sat down in the sand, and warmed
herself there. Thus her husband said to her: "You shall be nothing. You
shall be an eagle. The last people shall see you. Whenever something comes
ashore, you shall eat it."
Then he left his wife, (and) they two did not live (together).
Coos Texts, by Leo J. Frachtenberg; Columbia University Contributions to
Anthropology, Volume I; Columbia University Press, New York; [1913] and is
now in the public domain.
There was a woman living in Takimiya. (She was an) Eagle. When somebody came
there, she would marry him. Thus she would say to her husband: "We two will
go there. There is lots of fun." And she would take him to a small lake. The
lake appeared to (be full of) soft pitch. Her husband would be sitting on
her back, and the woman would fly (jump) there. Whenever she came there, she
would turn over, and her load would fall (into the lake). And the husband
would, get stuck there. He could not get out from there. He could not swim.
He would just seem to be stuck in the pitch. And he would die there. For a
long time she had been doing it that way.
So one day a man was dreaming. Such was his dream: "She is simply killing
the men, she is not marrying them." So the man went there, and thus spoke to
her: "I shall marry you." Eagle-Woman said thus to him: "Good!" So the next
day they two went to the place where she had been throwing the men. So the
man was thinking thus: "No matter what she does, I will keep on clinging to
her." Now, indeed, he saw the lake. The Eagle turned over. The man kept on
clinging there. Three times the Eagle did thus. And she became tired. And
again she flew (jumped) (to the place whence) they two came. When they two
came back, her husband said to her thus: "You are my wife. Come, let us two
go!"
So they got ready, and they two went. And he also took along his younger
brother, (so that) he might steer the canoe. The man stood in the bow, and
the woman was in the middle. Then they were going over the ocean. And the
man made waves. At each wave they went through, water filled up the canoe.
And they did this for quite a long time.
The woman seemed to get cold. And she bumped her nose and her head against
the canoe. Now, they were there a long time. The woman was very cold. She
nearly died from (with) cold. Then the two went back. When they landed
[ashore], the woman also went ashore, sat down in the sand, and warmed
herself there. Thus her husband said to her: "You shall be nothing. You
shall be an eagle. The last people shall see you. Whenever something comes
ashore, you shall eat it."
Then he left his wife, (and) they two did not live (together).
Coos Texts, by Leo J. Frachtenberg; Columbia University Contributions to
Anthropology, Volume I; Columbia University Press, New York; [1913] and is
now in the public domain.