[Told by John Jimison]

Characters
GÉHA – Wind

NYAGWAIHE — The Ancient of Bears

IN a cabin at the edge of a village lived a grandmother and her grandson. The grandmother was old and the grandson was young and they were so poor that they ate scraps given them by their neighbors.

Once, when a hunting party was starting off, the little boy followed it. The hunters traveled five days, then camped and built a bark hut.

The boy was too young to hunt; he went out with the men but never killed anything. They called him OTHWÉNSAWÉNHDE from the part of a deer they threw out for him to eat–”the small liver by the side of the large one.”

When the hunters were ready to start for home, they agreed to leave the boy, not letting him know that they were going; they wanted to travel fast.

One day when he came back to the hut, the boy found only the pile of hair left from the skins they had dressed. The men had taken everything and gone. The child didn’t know the way home.

That night he slept on the pile of hair; the next morning be found the chin bone of a deer and getting out the marrow ate it. When it was night again, he heard somebody coming; the door opened, and a man said, “Well, OTHWÉNSAWÉNHDE, you think you are going to die, but you are not. Get your knife and put it on the stump outside the door, and in the morning go and bring it in. You must hunt, to-morrow.” The stranger, who was GÉHA (Wind), went away.

The boy had an old basswood knife; he carried it out and put it on the stump. Early in the morning he went to the stump and there he found a new knife. He took his bow and arrow and knife and went into the woods. He saw a deer, ran after it, overtook it and killed it with his knife. Then he threw his bow and arrow away and afterward when hunting used his knife. He killed large game and had plenty of meat.

One night he heard somebody coming, then a man pushed open the door, and said, calling him by name, “I am here to tell you that NYAGWAIHE is coming to kill you. To-night put your knife on the stump outside, get it in the morning and go to the top of the tall elm tree at the end of the hut; hide in the branches and wait. NYAGWAIHE will climb the tree and look over into the hut to see if you are there. When he is coming down backwards, stick your knife into a small white spot in his right hind foot; he will fall to the ground, dead. Then pile up wood around the body and burn it.”

GÉHA went out.

The boy put his knife on the stump and in the morning the old knife was gone and a larger and longer knife was in its place. He picked up the knife and climbing the tree hid in the branches. Just at daybreak he heard a terrible roar, and right away NYAGWAIHE was climbing the tree. When he got to the top, he looked into the smoke-hole of the hut, and said, “There is a fire; the boy must be there,” and he started down the tree.

The boy saw the white spot and stuck his knife into it; NYAGWAIHE fell to the ground, dead.

That night, just as the boy was going to sleep, he heard somebody coming. GÉHA opened the door, and said, “I came to tell you that those hunters who left you here are starving. Ten days from now they will come back to the hut. You must be kind to them. Don’t feel proud or boast of your swiftness. You felt proud, that is why NYAGWAIHE came to destroy you, “Don’t say that there is no one who can outrun you, When they come tell them to help themselves to the meat you have dried. When they are ready to go home, go with them; tell every man to take as much meat as he can carry. Put your knife on the stump.”

GÉHA went away. The boy put his knife, which was made of basswood, on the stump. In the morning the knife was shorter and smaller.

During the next nine days the boy killed many deer, The tenth day he stayed in the hut, watching and listening. At midday the hunters came. When they saw how much; meat the boy had, they asked forgiveness. He told them to eat as much meat as they wanted, then take as much home as each man could carry.

They took half of the meat. The boy packed up the other half, shook it till it was as light a pack as any one of the men was carrying, then started on behind them.

When they got back to the village, the boy went to his grandmother’s house and threw down his pack. That minute it came to its natural size.

“Oh,” cried his grandmother, “I am happy now. The hunters said you were lost in the woods. But you are back and have brought plenty of meat.”

“Go, grandmother,” said the boy, “and ask all the women to come and get as much meat as they can carry away.”

The women came and carried away many loads of meat, but the meat in the house wasn’t diminished. There seemed to be as much as before any was taken.

Now a chief in the East challenged the chief of the village to run a race; whichever side was beaten all the men on that side would lose their lives.

The chief called the people together to decide on a runner. The boy said, “I will run with the man you choose and you can decide which is the better runner.”

The chief was pleased. He chose a man and the two stood apart. Other men also volunteered to run. The chief raised his hand, then dropped it, and the runners started, that minute the boy was out of sight, then off at the end of the opening a small dark object was seen. The other runner was only half way across the opening when the boy was back at the starting place. Then he began to boast that nobody could outrun him; he forgot GÉHA’s warning.

There was a valley that went across the world; that valley was to be the race course. At the edge of the world was a rock that stood up like the trunk of a huge tree. The rock was white flint and it shone brightly; there was no other rock like it. The runner who reached the rock was to bring back a chip of it. The runner for the challenging chief was tall and thin. At midday the sign was given and the runners started–the boy ran on the ground, his opponent ran in the air.

The boy used his full power and soon came back with a piece of the stone in his hand. After a long time the other runner came–the challenging chief and his men lost their heads.

The boy was proud and boastful. That night, just as he was falling asleep, he heard somebody coming. The door opened and a man said, “Come out, I want to talk to you.”

He went out.

“I challenge you to a foot race,” said the man. “You must wager the heads of all the people of the village, except yourself, against my head. I have no people. We will start at daylight and run till the sun reaches the middle of the Blue.”

“Very well,” said the boy.

The man disappeared. The boy told his grandmother what had happened and she started off to notify the people that their heads had been put up as a wager. While she was gone GÉHA came to the boy, and said, “I warned you not to boast and told you what would happen if you did. Now you must do your best or you will be beaten. You must help yourself. I am going home.”

The people assembled and the challenger came. Just as the sun rose, word was given and the runners started. As the challenger ran he threw up so much dirt that the boy was thrown back, and he fell. The people couldn’t see the runner; but off in the distance was a NYAGWAIHE.

As the boy fell, GÉHA was there, and said, “Get up and start! Help yourself and I’ll help you.”

The boy ran to the first knoll, looked but didn’t see his opponent, reached the second knoll and saw him on a knoll far ahead, then saw him on the fourth knoll. Now a Whirlwind took the boy up and, like a flash of lightning, put him at the runner’s heels. He called out, “Hurry, or I’ll overtake you!”

The runner used all his strength and soon was out of sight.

Again a Whirlwind picked up the boy and put him at the heels of his opponent. He shot twice and called out, “Do your best or I’ll beat you!”

The runner couldn’t get out of sight, he was losing strength.

Again a Whirlwind came and as it picked the boy up a voice said, out of the cloud, “This is the last time I’ll help you.”

Whirlwind put the boy down at his opponent’s heels; the runner, now in his real form, the form of a NYAGWAIHE, said, “You have overtaken me and won the race.”

Exactly at midday the boy cut off the Bear’s head, and taking it started for home. When over three hills he was tired; he hung the head on the limb of a tree and taking the tongue went on. He went over two other hills and was tired; he hung the tongue on the limb of a tree and went on over other hills and knolls. When he reached home and told the people that he had killed his opponent, they said, “We will go and see the body.”

“You’ll find it over the tenth hill. I tried to bring back the head, but seven hills from here I was tired and I hung it on the limb of a tree. I took the tongue, but when I came to the fifth hill I was tired and I hung the tongue on the limb of a tree.”

It took a long time for the people to get to the first hill. When they had traveled five Summers and five Winters, they came to a hill. On the top of the hill was a tree, and on the tree was the tongue of the NYAGWAIHE. The ground around the tree was trampled down; thousands of wild beasts had been there and tried to get the tongue, the men looked at it and went on.

When they had traveled two more Summers and two more Winters they came to the seventh hill and found a skull, all that was left of the head. The ground around the tree was trampled down: thousands of wild beasts had been there and tried to get the head.

They traveled three Summers and three Winters, then reached the tenth hill. For a great distance around the ground had been made bare and hard by the trampling of wild beasts.

The place where NYAGWAIHE fell had become a deer-lick, not a bone or a trace of the body was left.

The men were ten years going home. The boy aided by GÉHA had made the journey between sunrise and midday.

Seneca Indian Myths, by Jeremiah Curtin; New York; E.P. Dutton & Company [1922] and is now in the public domain.

Character
GÉHA – Wind

A PARTY of Senecas went hunting. When they had killed many deer and were ready to go home, they didn’t know what to do with a little boy whose father and mother had died while they had been in the forest.

The hunters had so much meat they couldn’t carry the boy and he couldn’t walk so far. At last they decided to leave him in the cabin, leaving plenty of wood and meat.

The child cried bitterly and begged to go, but they left him.

When the hunters reached home and the report went around that the child had been left in the woods, every one thought it would die.

After some days the chief sent a man to see if the child was alive.

As soon as the messenger was outside of the village, he changed himself into a bear.

The little boy kept a fire, cooked meat, and lived. One cold night he began to cry; the meat was almost gone and the wood was burned up. While crying he heard some one come to the door. After making a noise, as if shaking A snow, a man said, “Little boy, you think you are going I o die, you are not. I am going to take care of you. The chief has sent a man to see if you are alive, but he will not be here for a long time. I will be your friend. When you want me think of me and I will come.”

The man went away and the boy fell asleep. In the morning he found a pile of wood at the door, and on a low limb of a tree hung a piece of deer meat. Now he was happy; he built a fire and cooked some of the meat.

The next night the man came again; he stopped at the door, and shook his feet, as if shaking off snow, but he didn’t go in. He called to the boy, and said, “The man who is coming won’t help you; he has taken the form of a bear. He will be here at midday, to-morrow. In the morning you will find, between the roots of the old stump near the door, a rusty knife. Sharpen it and kill the bear. When you hear him coming, run to the spring where the tall hemlock stands, and climb the tree; the bear will follow you. Slip down on the other side and as he is coming down stab him in the forefoot.”

The boy did as the voice told him. When he had killed the bear, he went back to the cabin. The next night the stranger came to the door, and said, “My friend, men are coming for you. Go home with them, they will be good to you. The chief will adopt you and you will become the swiftest runner living, but don’t be proud and boast of your power. I am your friend but you will never see me. I am the one who is called GÉHA (Wind). If you are in trouble think of me and I will help you. When the men come they will ask about the messenger the chief sent, you will say, ‘I haven’t seen a man, but one morning a strong wind went through the woods.’”

The next day four men came with food for the boy. They saw that he had wood and meat, but no bow or arrow. He went home with the men and the chief had him brought to his own house, for the child’s relatives were all dead.

The chief said, “You will be my grandson and live with me.” When they gave the boy a bow and arrows, he asked for a club.

“What do you want of a club?” asked the chief.

“To kill deer.”

The chief had a club made for him. He chased deer, overtook them hit them on the head and killed them. He killed bird’s before they could fly away. GÉHA had told him he would be the swiftest runner living and he always had that in mind. When he saw boys running he laughed, and thought, “That running is nothing. I can run faster than any boy living.”

One night some one struck on the door near the boy’s bed and a man called out, “Who is in here?”

“I am,” answered the boy.

“Well, I challenge you to run a race with me. You think you are the swiftest runner in the world. We will start from the second mountain and run from sunrise till sundown.”

In the morning the boy asked the chief, whom he called Grandfather,” if in the night he had heard some one talking outside.

“I did not,” answered the chief.

“Well, a man came and challenged me to run a race,”

“I don’t think it was a man,” said the chief; “it must have been a beast and I am afraid you will get killed.”

“I’ve been challenged, and I must go,” said the boy. “I must be ready the third morning from this.”

He made ten pairs of moccasins, put flint in his arrows, and parched corn to eat. On the third morning he started, When near the appointed place he saw a dark mass. At first he didn’t know what it was, but when daylight came he saw it was a great bear.

When the sun appeared, the bear said, “Now, we’ll start.”

He leaped across the valley and on to the first mountain; where he struck the ground sank. He leaped from mountain to mountain, but the boy had to run through the valleys.

At midday the bear was ahead and the boy thought, am lost. I wish my friend GÉHA would come.”

That minute GÉHA came as a whirlwind and carried the boy far ahead of the bear. As GÉHA traveled he threw down trees and that delayed the bear for it had to jump over them.

At last the bear’s strength gave out and he called to the boy that he might have his life.

The boy killed the bear, then he burned tobacco to friend GÉHA and asked to be taken home, GÉHA carried him in a whirlwind and put him down in front of the chief’s house. “I have come, Grandfather,” said the boy, “I have killed bear. You must send men to bring it home.”

The chief sent eight men. They were twenty days going and twenty returning, the boy wasn’t half a day, for GÉHA had carried him over the woods and under the clouds.

Seneca Indian Myths, by Jeremiah Curtin; New York; E.P. Dutton & Company [1922] and is now in the public domain.

[Told by George Titus]
Characters
GÁQGA´ – Raven
SKAGÉDI – One-half of Anything,

A BROTHER and sister lived together. The brother never let his sister go out of the house. When he went hunting, he told his dog to stay at home and get whatever the girl wanted.

One day when the brother was away the girl wanted water, and, not seeing the dog, thought, “What harm can it do? I’ll go to the spring and get back quickly.”

She ran to the spring, stooped down and filled the bucket, but as she straightened up and rested, putting the bucket at the edge of the spring, someone grasped her from behind, lifted her into the air and carried her off.

The dog followed, barking loudly. He made a spring into the air to catch the girl, but he couldn’t reach her.

The brother, hearing the dog bark, hurried home and finding his sister gone, said to the dog, “You have caused great trouble.”

The dog felt so badly that he bent his head down, curled it under and became stone.

GÁQGA´, the man who stole the girl, took her to an island in the middle of a lake.

Every day GÁQGA´ went away and came back with dry fish that he found on the shore of the lake. Sometimes he brought pieces of human flesh which he ate himself, sending the girl to get water for him to drink.

one day when the girl went to the edge of the island to get water, a man stood before her, and said, “I have come here to tell you that GÁQGA´ is very hungry and he has made up his mind to kill you to-morrow. He will tell you to bring water and fill the kettle. As soon as this is done he will take up his club to kill you. You must run behind the post that the kettle hangs on. He will strike the post and break his arm, then come to this place as quickly as you can.”

The next day GÁQGA´ did as the stranger said he would. When he struck at the girl she dodged, his arm hit the post and broke. She ran to the lake; the stranger was there and had a canoe. They sat in the canoe and the man pushed out on to the lake. This man was SKAGÉDI (One-half of anything). When he stepped into the canoe he divided and one-half sat at each end. They crossed the lake and as they touched land the half of SKAGÉDI at the rear end of the canoe was raised up and thrown across the canoe. It struck the front half and joining it became a whole man. The girl was sitting on the bottom of the canoe.

SKAGÉDI’s mother was at the landing. She went to the girl and saying, “My daughter come with me,” led her to a house.

The girl was now SKAGÉDI’s wife. Every time he went out in his canoe he divided himself and one-half sat at each end of the canoe. As soon as he touched land he became one again.

SKAGÉDI had all his life been traveling around on the lake, liberating persons captured by bad men and wizards.

After a time SKAGÉDI’s wife gave birth to twin boys. As soon as they were born, the grandmother threw them into the lake. As they touched the water they began to paddle and quickly came to shore.

She threw them in a second time; in a minute they were back; she threw them a third time, and far out. When they swam to shore, she said, “That will do.” They began to run around and play.

The boys grew quickly and after a while said to their father, “You ought to stay at home and let us go out in the canoe and do your work.”xx “Very well,” said SKAGÉDI.

The boys started and after rowing some distance one said to the other, “See, there is something off there on land that looks as if it were breathing. Let us go ashore and find out what it is.”

They landed, and going to the spot, found an old house lying flat on the ground, but inside something was breathing and soon they saw that it was a very old man. They got him out from under the house and one of the boys said, “This is our uncle. We must take him home.”

The man was willing to go. As they were leaving the place he pointed to a large stone, and said, “That is my dog,” and striking it with a switch he called out, “Get up!” The dog rose, shook, stretched himself and followed the man.

When they reached home, the boys said, “Mother, we have found our uncle.” She looked at the man and sure enough he was her brother. The boys said to their grandmother, “You must marry our uncle.”

“Very well,” said the woman.

After that they all lived together happily.

Seneca Indian Myths, by Jeremiah Curtin; New York; E.P. Dutton & Company [1922] and is now in the public domain.

Characters
GÁQGA´ – Raven
DZODJÓGIS – Blackbirds
GAI´SGEN SE – Ground-birds
GANOGESHEGEA – Sparrows
DJEONYAIK – Robin
HÁNISHEONON – Muck-worm

RAVEN was traveling but he didn’t know whence he came or whither he was going. As he journeyed along he was thinking, “How did I come to be alive? Where did I come from? Where am I going?” After traveling a long time he saw a smoke and going toward it saw four hunters–blackbirds. Afraid to go near them he hid in the forest and watched.

The next morning after the hunters had started away, Raven crept up to their camp, stole their meat, carried it into the woods and made a camp for himself. He was lonely and he said, “I wish there were other people here.” Looking around he saw a house west of his camp and going to it found Robin and his wife and five children. Raven ate the youngest child, then ate the other four. The father and mother tried to drive him away, but could not. When at last Raven went off he left old Rabin and his wife crying for their children.

Sometime after this, Raven saw a camp off in the southeast and going there found a family of Sparrows. He was afraid of the old people and he ran off, but they followed him, caught up and hit him on the head till they drove him far away.

“It is a shame to let such little people beat me!” thought Raven. But he was afraid to go back.

Now Raven had gone far from his camp; he hunted everywhere in the forest but couldn’t find it. “Well,” said he at last, “let it go, I don’t care!” and he walked away toward the North. Just before dark, he found a camp and going towards it saw four men and a large quantity of meat. He hid in the forest and the next morning’, looking toward the camp, he again saw the hunters.

“I’ll wait till they go away,” thought Raven, “then I’ll steal their meat.” Soon he heard the men moving around, then all was quiet and he knew that they had gone. He crept slowly toward the camp, but when he reached it be didn’t find even one bite of meat–they were the hunters from whom he had stolen before.

They had finished hunting, had packed their meat and started for home.

Raven was disappointed. He walked on and toward night found another camp.

Creeping near it, he again saw the four hunters. He listened to what they were saying.

One said, “I wonder who stole our meat that day?”

Another said, “I think the thief is walking around in the woods, I think his name is Raven.”

“Oh,” thought Raven, “they are talking about me. They will be on the watch. How can I get their meat? Then he said, “Let them fall asleep and sleep soundly!”

That minute the four hunters fell asleep. Raven went up boldly, took their meat, carried it off into the woods and hid it, saying, “This is the kind of man I am!”

The next morning the four hunters missed their meat.

One said, “Somebody has stolen my meat!”

Another asked, “Who has stolen my meat?”

The third said, “I dreamed that I saw Raven around here and he started off toward the Southwest.”

Then the four said, “Let us follow the direction given by the dream.”

The hunters started to follow the thief. Soon they came to the place where he was camped. Raven had been out all night and now he was sleeping soundly.

One of the men said, “We must kill him.”

“No,” said another, “let him live, he didn’t kill us while we were asleep.”

They took their meat and went away.

When Raven woke up, he was very hungry, but the meat was gone. “Well,” thought he, “I must hunt for something to eat.” He traveled around in every direction but found no game. About midday he heard the noise of people. He listened a while then went on till he came to a house. A man inside the house was singing and the song said, “Raven is coming! Look out! Be careful! Raven is coming!” “Why does he sing about me?” thought Raven, “I’ll go in and find out.”

He went into the house and found Ground-bird and his wife and four children.

“I have come to stay a few days with you,” said Raven.

“Very well,” said the man.

That night Raven ate the four children, then he lay down and slept.

The next morning the father and mother asked, “Where are our children?”

Raven said, “I dreamed that a man came and carried your children off, and my dream told me which way he went. I will go with you and hunt for them.”

When the three had traveled some distance Raven said, “The man who stole your children lives on that high cliff over there. I can’t go there with you, for I don’t like that man. I will wait here till you come back.”

As soon as the father and mother were out of sight, Raven ran off. He traveled till he came to where there were many of his own people. They were dancing and he sat down to watch them.

Soon Muck-worm was seen coming from the East. The people stopped dancing and ran in every direction, but Muck-worm pursued them and catching one after another by the neck he threw them aside dead.

Raven, who was watching, thought, “What sort of man is that? I wish he would see me. He can’t throw me off dead, in that way.”

Muck-worm, after killing many of the Raven people, started toward the West, Raven followed him. Muck-worm kept on for a long time without seeming to know that there was anyone behind him, but at last he stopped, looked back, and asked, “What do you want?”

“I don’t want anything,” said Raven, “I’ve come to be company for you.”

“I don’t want company,” said Muck-worm.

Raven was frightened. Both men stood still for a minute then Muck-worm sprang at Raven and caught him. He would have killed him, but Raven screamed so loudly that many of his people heard the cry and came to his aid. They flew at Muck-worm and pecked him to death.

Seneca Indian Myths, by Jeremiah Curtin; New York; E.P. Dutton & Company [1922] and is now in the public domain.

“‘And now behold! Look through the valley between two hills. Look between the sunrise and the noon!’

“So I looked, and in the valley there was a deeper hollow from which smoke was arising and steam as if a hot place were beneath.

Then spoke the messengers saying, ‘What do. you see?’

I answered, ‘I see a place in the valley from which smoke is arising and it is also steaming as a hot place were beneath.’

“Then said the beings, ‘Truly you have spoken. It is the truth. In that place a man is buried. He lies between the two hills in the hollow in the valley and a great message is buried with him. Once we commanded that man to proclaim that message to the world but he refused to obey. So now he will never rise from that spot for he refused to obey. So now to you, therefore, we say, proclaim the message that we give you and tell it truly before all people.’

“‘Now the first thing has been finished and it remains for us to uncover all wickedness before you.’ So they said.”

The Code of Handsome Lake, the Seneca Prophet by Arthur C. Parker [1913].