Post by Okwes on Apr 26, 2007 12:16:50 GMT -5
Creation of St. Lawrence Island - Siberian Eskimo
When Creator was creating the earth, he made at first the shore of Uñi´sak;
then he made the Russian land, after that the American land. Then he felt
tired, and lay down to have a rest. The sun, however, had not set, and he
said, "It is still light. Let me create sornething small. So he stretched
out his hand, and took from the bottom of the sea a handful of sand. He
pressed the water out of it, - and therefore our island is called ?ibu´kak
("pressed out," "wrung out"), - and put it upon the ground before himself.
Then he picked up a few small pebbles and put them in various places on this
mound of sand. These were men. They were weak and without enterprise.
He said to them, "You must take your food out of the water. I shall not give
you reindeer. They are too good for you." They sought food, and found a
walrus, a thong-seal, and a ringed-seal. Still it was not enough, and they
were starving. All the people died of starvation; only an orphan was left
alive. He was covered with scabs; his skin had large ulcers, and in some
places hung down in tatters. He had no food for nearly a month. So he lay in
the cold sleeping-room, unable to rise. His body was covered with an old
coat of bird-skins without feathers. He lay shaking with cold, and asking
for a speedy death.
He wanted to sleep, but could not. So he prayed to the Sea-God,2 not for
food, at least for a little sleep. But the sleep did not come. Then he
prayed to the Upper God for a little sleep. The sleep did not come. But the
Sea-God had compassion on him, and sent a walrus. The walrus came roaring,
and emerged out of the ground near the house. Then it plunged back, but left
behind a few jelly-fish. Some of them were right in the sleeping-room. The
boy felt around with his hands. He found one jelly-fish, and swallowed it;
but his stomach was so little used to food, that he died of cramps. The
Upper God had compassion on him, and brought him back to life. He ate five
more jelly-fishes, and died again. The Upper God brought him back to life
another time. Now his stomach was stronger. He ate plenty of jelly-fish, and
felt better. Still he had no sleep. He prayed again to the Upper God, who
had compassion on him and sent him sleep. He slept three days and two
nights. Then he dreamed. Six women - one old one and five young ones -
entered the sleeping-room. They put everything in good order, cleaned away
the rubbish, spread the skins, and lighted the lamp. Then the room was warm
and tidy. He wished to move nearer the lamp, and then he awoke. The
sleeping-room was dark and cold, as before. He prayed again for sleep, but
without success. Three days and two nights he was there, trembling with
cold, then he dozed off and had the same dream. The women came and put the
sleeping-room in order. The old woman said, "We are assistants of the Upper
God. We must not waken him till everything is ready. Now prepare the food!"
The younger women brought a large dish filled with fish, walrus-meat, and
seal-blubber. There was everything except whale-skin.
He was awake, but felt afraid to stir, lest the happy dream should vanish,
as before. Then the old woman nudged him, "Get up! The meal is ready." He
ate. The old woman urinated into a chamber-vessel, and rubbed his body all
over with urine. Instantly he was healed of his sores. She blew upon him,
and he became strong, like a walrus. Then he copulated with all five of the
younger women, one after another; so that his name after that was
The-One-copulating-with-Five-Divine-Women. After that he went out and set
off, journeying towards the sky. He came to the Sun-Man, and said, "Give us
reindeer!" Sun-Man answered, "I cannot do so. In the world above me there
lives another God greater than I: he would be angry. Instead of that, I will
give you something large and oily, - a great mass of food. Keep it as your
property." He took two handfuls of small pebbles. "Take these, and when you
come home, throw them into the water." The young man descended, and threw
the stones into the water. They turned into whales of various kinds. After
that he lived on the surface of the sea. He walked about with the walrus. In
the end the people of Kuku´lik killed him by mistake. When dying, he said,
"Such are you, and such shall be your fate. When you go out to sea, you
shall be drowned. When you stay ashore, you shall die of starvation. When
you have food enough, you shall be visited by to´?na?aks of the disease."
After that he died. That is all.
The Eskimo of Siberia by Waldemar Bogoras [Leiden & New York, 1913] Told by
Ale´qat, an Asiatic Eskimo man, on St. Lawrence Island, May, 1901.
When Creator was creating the earth, he made at first the shore of Uñi´sak;
then he made the Russian land, after that the American land. Then he felt
tired, and lay down to have a rest. The sun, however, had not set, and he
said, "It is still light. Let me create sornething small. So he stretched
out his hand, and took from the bottom of the sea a handful of sand. He
pressed the water out of it, - and therefore our island is called ?ibu´kak
("pressed out," "wrung out"), - and put it upon the ground before himself.
Then he picked up a few small pebbles and put them in various places on this
mound of sand. These were men. They were weak and without enterprise.
He said to them, "You must take your food out of the water. I shall not give
you reindeer. They are too good for you." They sought food, and found a
walrus, a thong-seal, and a ringed-seal. Still it was not enough, and they
were starving. All the people died of starvation; only an orphan was left
alive. He was covered with scabs; his skin had large ulcers, and in some
places hung down in tatters. He had no food for nearly a month. So he lay in
the cold sleeping-room, unable to rise. His body was covered with an old
coat of bird-skins without feathers. He lay shaking with cold, and asking
for a speedy death.
He wanted to sleep, but could not. So he prayed to the Sea-God,2 not for
food, at least for a little sleep. But the sleep did not come. Then he
prayed to the Upper God for a little sleep. The sleep did not come. But the
Sea-God had compassion on him, and sent a walrus. The walrus came roaring,
and emerged out of the ground near the house. Then it plunged back, but left
behind a few jelly-fish. Some of them were right in the sleeping-room. The
boy felt around with his hands. He found one jelly-fish, and swallowed it;
but his stomach was so little used to food, that he died of cramps. The
Upper God had compassion on him, and brought him back to life. He ate five
more jelly-fishes, and died again. The Upper God brought him back to life
another time. Now his stomach was stronger. He ate plenty of jelly-fish, and
felt better. Still he had no sleep. He prayed again to the Upper God, who
had compassion on him and sent him sleep. He slept three days and two
nights. Then he dreamed. Six women - one old one and five young ones -
entered the sleeping-room. They put everything in good order, cleaned away
the rubbish, spread the skins, and lighted the lamp. Then the room was warm
and tidy. He wished to move nearer the lamp, and then he awoke. The
sleeping-room was dark and cold, as before. He prayed again for sleep, but
without success. Three days and two nights he was there, trembling with
cold, then he dozed off and had the same dream. The women came and put the
sleeping-room in order. The old woman said, "We are assistants of the Upper
God. We must not waken him till everything is ready. Now prepare the food!"
The younger women brought a large dish filled with fish, walrus-meat, and
seal-blubber. There was everything except whale-skin.
He was awake, but felt afraid to stir, lest the happy dream should vanish,
as before. Then the old woman nudged him, "Get up! The meal is ready." He
ate. The old woman urinated into a chamber-vessel, and rubbed his body all
over with urine. Instantly he was healed of his sores. She blew upon him,
and he became strong, like a walrus. Then he copulated with all five of the
younger women, one after another; so that his name after that was
The-One-copulating-with-Five-Divine-Women. After that he went out and set
off, journeying towards the sky. He came to the Sun-Man, and said, "Give us
reindeer!" Sun-Man answered, "I cannot do so. In the world above me there
lives another God greater than I: he would be angry. Instead of that, I will
give you something large and oily, - a great mass of food. Keep it as your
property." He took two handfuls of small pebbles. "Take these, and when you
come home, throw them into the water." The young man descended, and threw
the stones into the water. They turned into whales of various kinds. After
that he lived on the surface of the sea. He walked about with the walrus. In
the end the people of Kuku´lik killed him by mistake. When dying, he said,
"Such are you, and such shall be your fate. When you go out to sea, you
shall be drowned. When you stay ashore, you shall die of starvation. When
you have food enough, you shall be visited by to´?na?aks of the disease."
After that he died. That is all.
The Eskimo of Siberia by Waldemar Bogoras [Leiden & New York, 1913] Told by
Ale´qat, an Asiatic Eskimo man, on St. Lawrence Island, May, 1901.