Alsea (corruption of Alsi’, the aboriginal name). A Yankonan tribe formerly occupying a small territory at and about the mouth of Alsea River, western Oregon. Little is known of the early history of the tribe of which there are now only a dozen survivors on the Siletz Reservation, Oregon. According to Dorsey (Jour. Am. Folk-lore, III, 229, 1890) the following are the former Alsea villages:

North of Alsea River

South Side of the river.

Milhau (in letter to Gibbs) gave Neahumtuk as an Alsea village at the mouth of Alsea River, which has not been identified.

Handbook of American Indians, 1906

The chief’s children were strong and brave and resourceful, and the chief was grateful for this. The eldest child, a son, loved to flex his muscles. The chief’s daughter was also proud of her strength and beauty. The second son was as handsome as his brother and sister, but most of all he loved to use his mind. He often sat quietly, pondering all there was to know in the world.

As the second son thought about the dark world below, he became sad, for he imagined how lovely it might look in light and how pleased the people of the Earth would be to see light. He decided he must somehow bring light to the world.

One day he and his brother set off to gather wood in the sky forest. “Look,” said the youngest brother as he bent a slender cedar twig into a ring, the size of a face. As his brother watched, he tied wood all around the twig so that his creation looked like a mask. He placed this mask over his face.

“What are you doing?” his brother asked, but without saying a word, the younger brother, wearing his disguise, began to walk east.

At that moment the people of Earth looked up and saw light rising in the east. They were amazed by the sight, but they did not know that this was the chief’s younger son. He had lighted his mask, and as he moved, the flames burned brighter and brighter. He began to run toward the west, flames shooting from his mask, lighting up the world below.

When the boy saw the people of Earth celebrating his light, he repeated his journey. Each day he ran from east to west, wearing his burning mask, shedding light on the people.

Before long, the tribe assembled a council to talk about the light. They called to the chief of the sky. “We are glad your child has brought us light,” they told the chief, “but please ask him to slow his pace. He takes the light away too quickly now.”

The chief called his young son to him and told him of the people’s request.

“I must run, father,” the boy said. “If I walk too slowly, my mask will burn up.”

The chief reported back to the people, who were dismayed by this news. “Please, chief, do something. You rule the sky. Surely you can slow down your son.”

The chief’s daughter was listening. She admired her younger brother and the gift he had brought to the world. She too hoped to bring a gift to the people. “Father,” she said, “I will slow him down.”

The next day, as the boy ran to the east to begin his journey, his sister called to him, “Brother, wait for me,” and when he was halfway across the sky, she caught up to him.

“Brother,” she called as she raced to his side. She reached for him and held his arm, stopping him. That is why, even today, the sun stops for a while in the middle of the sky. It is there brother and sister meet each day.

The chief’s eldest son saw his father’s joy, and the people’s gratitude, and began to wonder what he might give to the world.

The night, as his younger brother, who was called Walks-All-Over-the- Sky, lay down to rest from his long day’s journey, the eldest son lay awake. When he knew everyone was fast asleep, he rubbed his face with charcoal and set off for the east.

While the younger brother slept, his masked face shed light from a smoke hole. The older boy rose into the eastern sky, his charcoal- covered face reflecting the light that came from the smoke hole.

Down on Earth a young child looked up and cried, “Look, the sun has risen again!”

The people looked up and saw a soft light rising into the sky. They shouted for joy, for though the eldest brother was not as bright as the sun, he eased the darkness of night. The people called him Walking-About-Early.

Time passed, and the children changed the world in other ways. While Walks-All-Over-the-Sky slept, sparks flew from his mouth, and these became stars.

After the sky was filled with the sun, moon and stars, the chief’s daughter began to wonder what gift she might create. She wandered westward into the water, where her skirt became soaked as she waded lost in thought. That evening she stood by a fire to warm herself and wrung the hem of her wet skirt by the fire. As she did, water dripped onto the flames and a great cloud of steam rose up and floated out across the world. She smiled with happiness, for now she knew she had created fog, which traveled west to east and refreshed the Earth with its cool touch.

“Father, look!” she cried, and her father blessed her.

The chief was at peace. Each of his children had offered a gift to the world. Walks-All-Over-the-Sky walked each day, and with his warmth and light he nourished the world. Walking-About-Early rose and set every 30 days, and thus he divided the year. The cool fog the chief’s daughter created helped to refresh the Earth when it grew weary.

And the people praised the chief and his children.

adapted by Amy Friedman

American Indian Myths and Legends
by Richard Erdoes; Alfonso Ortiz
New York : Pantheon Books, c1984.

http://solar-center.stanford.edu/folklore/walks-over-sky.html

Julia Gentle, Santa Cruz Mountains.

One day a lady have two daughter, but her sister have one. Sister daughter name Alimoty. An’ everybody love Alimoty, but nobody love him daughter. An’ him go to de Lion an’ say to de Lion he mus’ kill Alimoty for him. Den de Lion say him mus’ put on red frock on Alimoty an’ blue frock on to him daughter when him going to bed. An’ after him going to bed, de girl say, “Cousin Alimoty, yo’ red frock don’ fit you; let us swap!” An’ deh swap. An’ de Lion kill de lady daughter, lef’ one. Den de lady tell de Lion mus’ kill Alimoty whom everybody love an’ don’ love him daughter. Den he said, “To-night you mus’ sew on de’ red frock on Alimoty an’ de blue frock on to you daughter, an’ I come an’ kill him to-night.” And when deh go to bed, deh swap again, an’ de Lion kill de lady daughter,–have none now! Den de Lion said, “Tomorrow sen’ Alimoty to me yard; I will kill him.” Den Alimoty was going t’ru de yard an’ de dead mudder give him a bottle of milk, drop it an’ run off. Alimoty sing,–

“Poor me, Alimoty,
Poor Alimoty,
A me Dickie sahnie o-o
See me go long a wid two.”

An’ Aliminty was a hunter and hear de singin’ an’ say, “Dat Alimoty v’ice!” An’ he came to de Lion yard an’ kill de Lion.

NOTE:

For the exchange of colors see Bolte u. Polívka 1:124-126. For place-changing and killing of the wrong victim see the same, 499-501. Compare Parsons, Sea Islands, 128.

The incident is common in African story, e. g, Tremearne, 430; Dennett, 47; Torrend, 33; Junod, 163, The setting of the story is often similar to number 23 where a parent calls upon outside aid to get rid of a troublesome child.

Jamaica Anansi Stories ,Martha Warren Beckwith, New York, Published By The American Folk-Lore Society, G. E. Stechert & Co., Agents. [1924] and is now in the public domain.

Alexander Townsend, Flamstead, St. Andrew.

Ali Baba was the brother of Kissem, but Ali Baba was a poor man and Kissem was a rich man. Ali Baba had two donkeys and an ox,–all his living. Ali Baba was cutting wood one day, he heard a company of horse coming afar. Took his donkeys and hid them in the bush, hid himself in a tree. Forty men were coming on; the head man came right to the cave where he was. Name of the cave was “Sesame.” This cave was shut, would open by the word “Open, Sesame.” And they brought forty bags of gold an’ put in. Shut without word. Ali Baba saw them from the tree-top. When gone, Ali Baba came down to the cave, said, “Open, Sesame, open!” Ali Baba took all the money he could, loaded it on the donkey.

Must measure the money, but didn’t have any measure. Brother said, “What Ali Baba got to measure?” Took stuck the measure. Ali Baba measure, measure, measure, measure thousands of dollars. One piece stuck on the bottom. Brother aska; Ali Baba tells all about it, teaches brother, “Open, Sesame, open.” Next day, Kissem took wagon, oxen, servants, went to the place, said, “Open, Sesame, open!”. When he went inside, cave shut. When he went on, saw all the money, he forgot the word, said, “Open, kem! Open, wem! Open, rim! Open, sim!” Forgot that word entirely, can’t get out. The men came back; “Open, Sesame, open!” Find Kissem. ‘How came you here?” No answer. Cut Kissem up in five pieces, hung them up in the cave.

Kissem’s wife went to Ali Baba, said, “Kissem no come here yet!” Ali Baba went next day to the place. “Open, Sesame, open!” Finds the five pieces, takes them down, gets a cobbler to sew the five pieces up into a body. Robber comes back, finds body gone. Who took away that body, signifies some one knows the place; must find, out who that is. Goes about town, finds a cobbler who said he joined five pieces into a body. Cobbler shows the house. He gets jars, puts a robber in each jar; one jar has oil. Takes the jars to Ali Baba, says will he buy oil. Ali Baba says yes.

He makes sport for the great governor. Ali Baba had a maid by the name of Margiana, and she was very wittified,–discovered the whole thing, but she didn’t say anything. She danced so well, danced up to the governor to give her something. He put his hand in his pocket to get her something; Margiana get one dagger, killed the governor dead. Margiana got the oil red-hot, poured into all the jars that got men. Ali Baba said, “Well, Margiana, you saved my life and you shall have my son and as much money as you want, and as much money as will put you in heaven!”

Note:

Versions of Ali Baba in Jamaica differ in no way from those with which we are familiar.

Jamaica Anansi Stories ,Martha Warren Beckwith, New York, Published By The American Folk-Lore Society, G. E. Stechert & Co., Agents. [1924] and is now in the public domain.

The god Michabo was hunting with his pack of trained wolves one day when he saw the strangest sight-the wolves entered a lake and disappeared. He followed them into the water to fetch them and as he did so, the entire world flooded.

Michabo then sent forth a raven to find some soil with which to make a new earth, but the bird returned unsuccessful in its quest.

Then Michabo sent an otter to do the same thing, but again to no avail.

Finally he sent the muskrat and she brought him back enough earth to begin the reconstruction of the world.

The trees had lost their branches in the flood, so Michabo shot magic arrows at them that immediately became new branches covered with leaves.

Then Michabo married the muskrat and they became the parents of the human race.