Post by Okwes on Jun 14, 2007 10:59:34 GMT -5
Determination Of The Seasons - Tahltan
(Tahltan: Teit, .Journal of American Folk-Lore, xxxii, 226)
Once Porcupine and Beaver quarrelled about the seasons. Porcupine wanted
five winter months. He held up one hand and showed his five fingers. He
said, Let the winter months be the same in number as the fingers on my
hand." Beaver said, "No," and held up his tail, which had many cracks or
scratches on it. He said, "Let the winter months be the same in number as
the scratches on my tail." Now they quarrelled and argued. Porcupine got
angry and bit off his thumb. Then, holding up his hand with the four
fingers, he said emphatically, "There must be only four winter months."
Beaver became a little afraid, and gave in. For this reason porcupines have
four claws on each foot now.
Since Porcupine won, the winter remained four months in length, until later
Raven changed it a little. Raven considered what Porcupine and Beaver had
said about the winters, and decided that Porcupine had done right. He said,
"Porcupine was right. If the winters were made too long, people could not
live. Henceforth the winters will be about this length, but they will be
variable. I will tell you of the gaxewisa month, when people will meet
together and talk. At that time of the year people will ask questions (or
propound riddles), and others will answer. If the riddle is answered
correctly, then the person who propounded it must answer, "Fool-hen." Raven
chose this word because the fool-hen has a shorter beak than any other
gamebird. "If people guess riddles correctly at this time of year, then the
winter will be short, and the spring come early."
northwest British Columbia - Sub arctic
Tales of the North American Indians, by Stith Thompson [1929] and is now in
the public domain'
(Tahltan: Teit, .Journal of American Folk-Lore, xxxii, 226)
Once Porcupine and Beaver quarrelled about the seasons. Porcupine wanted
five winter months. He held up one hand and showed his five fingers. He
said, Let the winter months be the same in number as the fingers on my
hand." Beaver said, "No," and held up his tail, which had many cracks or
scratches on it. He said, "Let the winter months be the same in number as
the scratches on my tail." Now they quarrelled and argued. Porcupine got
angry and bit off his thumb. Then, holding up his hand with the four
fingers, he said emphatically, "There must be only four winter months."
Beaver became a little afraid, and gave in. For this reason porcupines have
four claws on each foot now.
Since Porcupine won, the winter remained four months in length, until later
Raven changed it a little. Raven considered what Porcupine and Beaver had
said about the winters, and decided that Porcupine had done right. He said,
"Porcupine was right. If the winters were made too long, people could not
live. Henceforth the winters will be about this length, but they will be
variable. I will tell you of the gaxewisa month, when people will meet
together and talk. At that time of the year people will ask questions (or
propound riddles), and others will answer. If the riddle is answered
correctly, then the person who propounded it must answer, "Fool-hen." Raven
chose this word because the fool-hen has a shorter beak than any other
gamebird. "If people guess riddles correctly at this time of year, then the
winter will be short, and the spring come early."
northwest British Columbia - Sub arctic
Tales of the North American Indians, by Stith Thompson [1929] and is now in
the public domain'