SENECA LEGENDS

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

HOW THE CHIPMUNK GOT ITS STRIPES

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Long ago when animals could talk, a bear was walking along.
Now it has always been said that bears think very highly of themselves. Since they are big and strong, they are certain that they are the most important of the animals. As this bear went along turning over big logs with his paws to look for food to eat, he felt very sure of himself. "There is nothing I cannot do," said this bear.

"Is that so?" said a small voice. Bear looked down. There was a little
chipmunk looking up at Bear from its hole in the ground.
"Yes," Bear said, "that is true indeed." He reached out one huge paw and
rolled over a big log. "Look at how easily I can do this. I am the strongest of
all the animals. I can do anything. All the other animals fear me."
"Can you stop the sun from rising in the morning?" said the Chipmunk.
Bear thought for a moment. "I have never tried that," he said. "Yes, I am
sure I could stop the sun from rising."
"You are sure?" said Chipmunk.
"I am sure," said Bear. "Tomorrow morning the sun will not rise. I, Bear,
have said so." Bear shat down facing the east to wait.
Behind him the sun set for the night and still he shat there. The chipmunk
went into its hole and curled up in its snug little nest, chuckling about how foolish Bear was. All through the night Bear sat. Finally the first birds started their songs and the east glowed with the light which comes before the sun. "The sun will not rise today," said Bear. He stared hard at the glowing light. "The sun will not rise today."

However, the sun rose, just as it always had. Bear was very upset, but
Chipmunk was delighted. He laughed and laughed. "Sun is stronger than
Bear," said the chipmunk, twittering with laughter. Chipmunk was so
amused that he came out of his hole and began running around in circles,
singing this song:
"The sun came up, The sun came up. Bear is angry, But the sun came up."
While Bear shat there looking very unhappy, Chipmunk ran around and
around, singing and laughing until he was so weak that he rolled over on his
back. Then, quicker than the leap of a fish from a stream, Bear shot out one
big paw and pinned him to the ground.
"Perhaps I cannot stop the sun from rising," said Bear, "but you will never
see another sunrise."
'Oh, Bear," said the chipmunk. "oh, oh, oh, you are the strongest, you are
the quickest, you are the best of all of the animals. I was only joking." But
Bear did not move his paw.
"Oh, Bear," Chipmunk said, "you are right to kill me, I deserve to die. Just
please let me say one last prayer to Creator before you eat me."
"shay your prayer quickly," said Bear. "Your time to walk the Sky Road has
come!"
"Oh, Bear," said Chipmunk, "I would like to die. But you are pressing down
on me so hard I cannot breathe. I can hardly squeak. I do not have enough
breath to say a prayer. If you would just lift your paw a little, just a little bit,
then I could breathe. And I could say my last prayer to the Maker of all, to
the one who made great, wise, powerful Bear and the foolish, weak, little
Chipmunk.
"Bear lifted up his paw. He lifted it just a little bit. That little bit, though, was
enough. Chipmunk squirmed free and ran for his hole as quickly as the
blinking of an eye. Bear swung his paw at the little chipmunk as it darted
away. He was not quick enough to catch him, but the very tips of his long
claws scraped along Chipmunk's back leaving three pale scars.
To this day, all chipmunks wear those scars as a reminder to them of what
happens when one animal makes fun of another

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

THE WOMAN WHO FELL FROM THE SKY

A long time ago human being lived high up in what is now called heaven. They had a great and illustrious chief.

It so happened that this chief's daughter was taken very ill with a strange affliction. All the people were very anxious as to the outcome of her illness. Every known remedy was tried in an attempt to cure her, but none had any effect.

Near the lodge of this chief stood a great tree, which every year bore corn used for food. One of the friends of the chief had a dream in which he was advised to tell the chief that, in order to cure his daughter, he must lay her beside this tree, and that he must have the tree dug up. This advice was carried out to the letter. While the people were at work and the young woman lay there, a young man came along. He was very angry and said: "it is not all right to destroy this tree. Its fruit is all that we have to live on." With this remark he gave the young woman who lay there ill a shove with his foot, causing her to fall into th hole that had been dug.

Now, that hole opened into this world, which was then all water, on which floated waterfowl of many kinds. There was no land at that time. It came to pass that as these waterfowl saw this young woman falling they shouted, "Let us receive her," whereupon they, at least some of them, joined their bodies together, and the young woman fell on this platform of bodies. When these were wearied they asked, "Who will volunteer to care for this woman?" The great Turtle then took her, and when he got tired of holding her, he in turn asked who would take his place. At last the question arose as to what they should do to provide her with a permanent resting place in this world. Finally it was decided to prepare the earth, on which she would live in the future. To do this it was determined soil from the bottom of the primal sea should be brought up and placed on the broad, firm carapace of the Turtle, where it would increase in size to such an extent that it would accommodate all the creatures that should be produced thereafter. After much discussion the toad was finally persuaded to dive to the bottom of the waters in search of soil. Bravely making the attempt, he succeeded in bringing up soil from the depths of the sea. This was carefully spread over the carapace of the Turtle, and at once both began to grow in size and depth.

After the young woman recovered from the illness from which she suffered when she was cast down from the upper world, she built herself a shelter, in which she lived quite contentedly. In the course of time she brought forth a girl baby, who grew rapidly in size and intelligence.

When the daughter had grown to young womanhood, the mother and she were accustomed to go out to dig wild potatoes. Her mother had said to her that in doing this she must face the west at all times. Before long the young daughter gave signs that she was about to become a mother. Her mother reproved her, saying that she had violated the injunction not to face the east, as her condition showed that she had faced the wrong way while digging potatoes. It is said that the breath of the West Wind had entered her person, causing conception. When the days of the delivery were at hand, she overheard twins within her body in a hot debate as to which should be born first and as to the proper place of exit, once declaring that he was going to emerge through the armpit of his mother, the other saying that he would emerge the natural way. The first one born, who was of reddish color, was called Othagwenda, that is, Flint. The outer, who was light in color, was called Djuskaha, tha is, the Little Sprout.

The grandmother of the twins liked Djuskaha and hated the other, so they cast Othagwenda into a hollow tree some distance from the lodge.

The boy who remained in the lodge grew very rapidly, and soon was able to make himself bows and arrows and to go out to hunt without his bow and arrows. At last he was asked why he had to have a new bow and arrows every morning. He replied that there was a young boy in the hollow tree in the neighborhood who used them. The grandmother inquired where the tree stood, and he told her, whereupon then they went there and brought the other boy home again.

When the boys had grown to man's estate, they decided that it was necessary for them to increase the size of their island, so they agreed to start out together, afterward separating to create forests and lakes and other things. They parted as agreed, Othagwenda going westward and Djuskaha eastward. In the course of time, on returning, they met in their shelter or lodge at night, then agreeing to go the next day to see what each had made. It was found that he had made the country all rocks and full of ledges, and also a mosquito that was very large. Djuskaha asked the mosquito to run, in order that he might see whether the insect could fight. The mosquito ran, and sticking his bill through a sapling, thereby made it fall, at which Djuskaha said, "That will not be right, for you would kill the people who are about to come," So, seizing him, he rubbed him down in his hands, causing him to become very small; then he blew on the mosquito, whereupon he flew away. He also modified some of the other animals his brother had made. After returning to their lodge, they agreed to go the next day to see what Djuskaha had fashioned. One visiting the east the next day, they found that Djuskaha had made a large number of animals which were so fat that they could hardly move, that he had made the sugar-maple trees to drop syrup; that he had made the sycamore tree to bear fine fruit; that the rivers were so formed that half of the water flowed upstream and the other half flowed downstream. Then the reddish-colored brother, Othagwenda, was greatly displeased with what his brother had made, saying that the people who were about to come would live too easily and be too happy. So he shook violently the various animals--the bears, deer and turkeys--causing them to become small at once, a characteristic that attached itself to their descendants. He also caused the sugar maple to drop sweetened water only, and the fruit of the sycamore to become small and useless; and lastly he caused the water of the rivers to flow in only one direction, because the original plan would bake it too easy for the human beings who were about to come to navigate the streams.

The inspection of each other's work resulted in a deadly disagreement between the brothers, who finally came to grips and blows, and Othagwenda was killed in the fierce struggle.