The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-04-12
PRIMITIVE FOLK LORE.
RELIGION AND ROMANCE
Tales of Creation and of
Legendary Heroes.
oaLEcrED FROM THE INDIANS ~ CALIFORNIA.
MEXICO. N GUATEMALA.
by JEREMIAH CURTIN.

COPYRIGHT ,sss, bv jeremiah curtin.
ni.-oLELBTs AND MEN LoIMIs..
The following beautiful and symmetrical tale
IN which wind and water are the moving charac
tiers, does not need much explanation. | may
call attention, however. to some points con
nected with myth tales, and first OF all to pc =
sonapes in those tales. | have stated alread y
chat the various birds. animals, fishes. &c,
mentioned in myths are different at the time
referred 10 from what they arc now.
It should bo remembered clearly In connec.
Zion with every list OF personages prefxed to
mytht in this series, that at the time to which
che narrative refers in opening. these person.
ages were of the first people, and had not be-
come what they are at present, beasts. birds.
plants, and other existences, except man. This
6act is understood thoroughly by all Indians
who know their own religion. aud they men
zion IL frequently. The main purpose OF crea-
t1on myths is to show how the former people
became what th,v are now, how the previous
order was changed Into the present. One
method of the narrntor Is to mention the char.
actors as individuals of the first people, a nd
tell us what they became only after the catas.
trophe which made them what they are.
When another method is followed, and the per
sonage is mentioned at the beginning of the
tale as that which no had not become yet, and
OoChtuo only HIeT NJ lne CLIMAX. IL 10 IOF
convenience sake In a complicated story. and is
coupled with a mental reservation and with
the understanding that the myth teller Is too
previous, so TO speak, and that his characters
in the given case are like Adam In the old play.
who Is seen crossing the stage in tights for the
purpose OF being created on the other side.
Winishuyat IS an interesting parsonage. He
3e described as no larger than a mans thumb.
and is carried generally on the Sop OF the head
bound up under the hair. though sometimes
he is represented as an Invisible attendant like
Bhmat Razum- In the Russian tale where Fedot.
the Sharpshooter. is the hero. The name is made
up OF two parts-Winis, he sees. and huyat. the
Significance of which I have not been able to
get at satisfactorily. The meaning Of the whole
word Is that the mind sees the coming of dan
ger which is not visible yet to the eye. 1t is a
norewarning- an instinct OF danger.
The Wintus believe wokwuk. the son Of Olel-
bis and Mem Loimis. to be the greatest source
of power and wealth.
According to Olelbis H.. different bits of
Wokwuk came down to the earth and were
turned into elk and various valuable creatures;
the tip Of Wokwuk's little finger became the
earthly Wokwuk.
Wintus told ne that II a man were to see
the earthly Wokwuk. who was made from the
tip Of Wokwuk's littlo finger, he would grow
immensely rich from the good luck which the
sight would bring him. The last Wokwuk
appeared q little over hundred years ago.
The etory Of its appearance is as follows: One
day m old woman, Mt a village called Tsarken,
about twenty miles north of Redding, went for
wood. Soon she ran homo almost breathless.
leaving her basket behind.
"Oh. my grandson cried she to the chief.
II am frightened. My grandfather and grand
mother used to say TO me when / was a girl:
You will see something wonderful some day
] have just seen something wonderful on the
hill. I believe. It is a Wokwuk. Old people
told me that IL a wokwuk is seen he will stay
in one place a long time. think this Wokwuk
will stay. and wants us to see him.
The chief made a beautiful shed of small fir
trees. covered It With fir branches and placed
Rweetly smelling herbs in 1t; he sent for neigh
boring chiefs. and next day all went In their
best array to the Wokwuk. bearing water In
the most beautiful basket of the village and
carrying a large oak slab and u rope. They
found the Wokwuk facing the north, and went
near him. The chief lighted his pipe. blew
the smoke toward every side. and said to the
wokwuk:
"You have come to zee us; we have come to
salute you. You have come to show your
self. You are u great person. and all the Win
tus in the country will hear of you: all the
chiefs in every place will speak of you. l am
glad that you are here. am glad that you
have come to my country"
He talked more to the Wokwuk; spoke very
nicely. Next no took water in his mouth and
blew 1t around in every direction. After that
the chief smoked n fragrant root instead of
tobacco, blowing the smoke toward the wok-
wuk. speaking to him with great respect.
Now we will take you home with u.s." said
the chief. They carried the oak slab to the
Wokwuk; he did not stir. They pushed him
onto the slab. tied one leg to 1t, then took him
home, placed him in the shed and united him.
He remained two months there, never ate any
thing, never tried TO escape.
Every morning they talked to the wokwuk.
During the two months no one went to hunt,
no one ate venison or sucker fish. Finally
al the Wintus were invited and all the Yanas,
. great assembly. They saluted the Wokwuk,
each chief addressed him; last OF all came a
chief from Wini Mem. named ropitot, leading
. black bear. This bear walked erect like a
man. He had bands of porcupine quilts around
his fore and hind legs, and a ouckskin band
covered with the red scalps OF woodpeckers
around his head. The bear bowed down to the
Wokwuk, and the chief addressed him. When
other chiefs spoke to the wokwuk during the
two previous months he never raised his head
or gave a sign of ans wer. but when Topitot
had finished. he raised his head, crowed loud
and long.
AN4b nv NhiSl vi nv NlAldkb Wlbnou
good luck to all. then he brought a rope. hung
Wokwuk TO n tree, and took his life. He
plucked him, gave the quills to the chiefs,
IN SLIDING himself. cut of the head, kept It;
the body he carried to an ant hill; when tho
ants had taken all the flesh. the bones. were
separated from each other and given to each
chief.
When the chiefs went home they spoke to
the quills and bones a.. II praying, at first
every.norning, then once a week, then once a
month, and continued this for a long time.
After that each put away his bono or his quill
In q triple covering. The bone or feather was
wrapped first in a cover OF the red scalps OF
woodpeckers sewed together, outside that were
two mats made OF reeds.
The owner Of a WOkwuk bone or quill does
mot show 1t 10 any one, not even 70 his wife or
children. When he dies he leaves 1t TO a son,
or. II no has no son, TO a daughter. The pos
session OF WOkwuk relics gives luck, but the
owner must never eat venisOn or sucker; these