Creation Myth. Part I : p. 4 I. CREATION MYTH.--PART 1. When this world was filled with water, Earth-Maker floated upon it, kept floating about. Nowhere in the world could he see even a tiny bit of earth. No persons of any kind flew about. He went about in this world, the world itself being invisible, transparent like...
5. Coyote, The Mountain Tossing People : p. 118 p. 117 5. COYOTE, THE MOUNTAIN-TOSSING PEOPLE, AND THE WIND-MAN. Many brothers lived together, very many. From there these many people could hear women (singing?); for two very pretty women lived beyond there, and thither in the northwest this lot of people were going to go courting, they...
13. The Serpent Lover : 13. THE SERPENT-LOVER. Once there lived an old man (and his family). They lived in a sweat-house just this side of Big Springs. The old man had one daughter, they say. And the girl lived there (with him). This girl, they say, every night, when it was nearly dark, went bathing, and did not miss...
2. Creation Myth. Part Ii : 2. CREATION MYTH.--PART II. Over there, just across from where the sun goes down, long ago, in the olden time, a supernatural being went along. "From this place let us gamble for the world!" said he. "In this world I am Coyote, and, going about this world, I shall spoil it," he said. Then, "Well...
Introduction : p. 1 INTRODUCTION. THE texts here presented form a part of the linguistic material collected during the years 1902 and 1903 for the California Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, which was maintained through the liberality of the late Mr. C. P. Huntington. All...
17. Mountain Lion And His Children : 17. MOUNTAIN-LION AND HIS CHILDREN. Mountain-Lion went off to hunt deer. Having put provisions of different sorts on his back, he started off, and, travelling for some time, he camped for the night. He slept, and in the morning, after having breakfasted, after having made ready his bow, he went...
15. The Frightener : 15. THE FRIGHTENER. Fisher-Man lived with his brothers. And they say that they all went hunting, and returned towards evening. Their wives were cooking, were roasting ground-squirrels, roasting fish. And just as they were setting it down ready for supper, a man came after them to kill them. They...
10. The Girls Who Married The Stars : 10. THE GIRLS WHO MARRIED THE STARS. Two girls who were of an age to dance the puberty dance, were dancing it. And having stopped dancing just at dawn, they both slept. Toward morning the two girls, who were sleeping, arising, went off to dig roots. When they returned at night, the people all...
8. Thunder And Mosquito, And The Theft Of Fire : 8. THUNDER AND MOSQUITO, AND THE THEFT OF FIRE. Then he went off. They heard him as he went, went away toward the south. Then rising from the west, they say, he stopped when he crossed over the middle of the world. And when it was winter-time in the world, he tried to make them aware of himself;...
18. Mouse Man : 18. MOUSE-MAN. Mouse-Man was seeking an abiding-place to be his home. "In what country, I wonder, might I stay, living safely!" he said. "My country! when winter comes, where may I survive?" he said. And then he went off. "I shall find it," he said. "I shall find my future home," he said. As he...
12. Night Hawk Man : 12. NIGHT-HAWK-MAN. Night-Hawk-Man lived in a sweat-house. Opposite from him lived another man, also having a sweat-house. This man killed many deer. Then people heard of this. "That man is a man who kills much game, they say," said they, gossiping together. So (a man) spoke. "My two daughters, ye...
3. Coyote's Adventures : 3. COYOTE'S ADVENTURES. Coyote-Man was married. He had two wives, they say, and his mother-in-law lived with him also. Coyote went off hunting, and, returning from his hunt, he remained at home. After a while he spoke. "The pis-ant orphans are going to hunt deer, they say. Yes," said his...
Title Page : MAIDU TEXTS BY ROLAND B. DIXON PUBLICATIONS Of The American Ethnological Society Edited By FRANZ BOAS VOLUME IV LATE E. J. BRILL PUBLISHERS AND PRINTERS LEYDEN, [1912] Scanned , August, 2003. J.B. Hare, Redactor. This Text Is In The Public Domain. These Files May Be Used For Any Non-commercial...
9. Sun Man And Frog Woman : 9. SUN-MAN AND FROG-WOMAN. Long ago Sun-Man lived, they say, in a sweat-house. From Honey-Lake Valley, looking straight to the north, it was. He went stealing, stole and carried off children. The Sun lived there, together with his sister. Their house was covered all over with ice. And when he stole...
6. Thunder Boy And Lizard Man : p. 140 p. 141 6. THUNDER-BOY AND LIZARD-MAN. In the north, it is said, there were many first people. One house was full of people, and they went hunting. One man went off and did not return by night. Then next day his brother went to look for him. And he went off, going along the ridge; ...
7. Thunder Boy And Lizard Man : 7. THUNDER-BOY AND LIZARD-MAN (VARIANT). There was a great winter-house which was full of people. At that place a man went off to hunt; but it grew night, and he had not returned. Morning came, again it grew night, another morning came, and then a certain man spoke. "Why from among ye all does not...
4. Coyote And Muskrat : 4. COYOTE AND MUSKRAT. There was a (Muskrat)-Man. And at that place, they say, many women lived. Now, the men went off to hunt, and they returned bringing back deer. And at night, eating their supper, they went to sleep. And in the morning, as they were getting up, "Do your best, killing deer...
14. Bat Man : p. 202 p. 203 14. BAT-MAN. Bat-Man and his brothers lived close to each other in sweat-houses. There, among that crowd of people, he was the one man who was an exception, he was very bad-tempered. Bat-Man was the only cross person among the good men. Now, one of his brothers went off courting...
11. Rolling Skull : 11. ROLLING SKULL. Curly-Headed-Man, 1 they say, was hunting deer, and camped for the night. He ate his supper, and, having finished his supper, sat there. Meanwhile a large white owl sang. Then he heard it, and answered it; and just at that moment he had no heart (lost his mind). So he himself...
16. Fisher Man : 16. FISHER-MAN. Long ago Fisher-Man lived with his elder brothers in a sweat-house, they say. Now he said to the Cottontail people, "Ye must remain at home, ye must stay here! I shall go away. Ye must stay close, must not go about. Thither, in that direction, I shall go in the morning." Then he...
