A Man Conquers Stone Coat : p. 509 A MAN CONQUERS STONE COAT (ICE AND COLD) [TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] "Character" GENnSKWA Ice and Cold (Stone Coat) ONCE there was a village in a clearing in the forest. The people of that village had been told not to go North, for in the North the Stone Coats (Ice and Cold) lived, and they...
The Origin Of Stories : p. 70 THE ORIGIN OF STORIES [TOLD BY HENRY JACOB] "This happened long ago, in the time of our forefathers." IN a Seneca village lived a boy whose father and mother died when he was only a few weeks old. The little boy was cared for by a woman, who had known his parents, She gave him the name...
Stone Coat, Cold And Frost : p. 216 STONE COAT, COLD AND FROST "Character" GNOnSKWA Stone Coat (Cold and Frost) A LONG time ago some Senecas went out to hunt. A Stone Coat came to their camp and said, "I want to stay in your camp. If you will let me stay, you will have good luck." The hunters let him stay and from that time...
Wolf And The Old Woman's Grandson : p. 160 WOLF AND THE OLD WOMAN'S GRANDSON "Characters" DADYOEnDZADSES, One name for Wolf--He who travels around the world HADJOQDJA Skin Man OTSOON Turkey GQGA Raven AN old woman and her grandson lived together in a forest. They were poor, for the woman had no one to help her and her grandson w...
Coon Deceives Crawfish : p. 243 COON DECEIVES CRAWFISH [TOLD BY MRS. SIM LOGAN] "Characters" ODJEDA Crawfish DJOEAGA? Coon ONE day a coon was walking out. As he went slowly along the bank of a stream, he thought of his enemies, the crawfish, and wondered how he could kill them. At last he stood still and thought out...
The Great Spirit Overpowers The Cold : p. 122 THE GREAT SPIRIT OVERPOWERS THE COLD AND FROST OF WINTER, STONE COATS "Characters" GNOnSKWA Stone Coats (Frost and Cold) IN the old time when men got lost while hunting it was supposed the Winter God (Stone Coat) ate them up. Once three Senecas started off on the war-path, going toward...
Glossary : p. 513 GLOSSARY "Awondgon".--Name of a weed. "Ddahwt".--White beaver. "Dadyoendzadses".--He who travels around the world (wolf). "Dagwahgweoses".--Long eyebrows. "Dagwanoenyent gowa".--Whirlwind, cyclone. "Daqsdes".--Long foot (rabbit). "Dendendne".--Caterpillar. "Doneyont".--Red hot...
Hagowane And His Ten Sons : p. 229 HAGOWANE AND HIS TEN SONS "Characters" HNGK HAGOWANE Wild Geese OTHGWEnDA Flint OnWEnAUNT Blue Snake DAGWANOEnYENT Whirlwind DJIYEn Spider GASYONDETHA Meteor TSODIQGWADOn Snake DEWAQSOnTHWS Flea HANWA Turtle DNYONDA Eagle HADIADES Black-snake AT HETGEnGASTENDE lived a man of great power...
The Thunder Boy : p. 110 THE THUNDER BOY "Characters" HNO Thunder HNOHOHWAnK Thunder 's Son YEGEnHDJI, In one version of this story YEGEnHJI's mother was HEnES, (Panther) A POOR old woman lived in a smoky little cabin in the woods. She was only skin and bones and she cried all the time, both day and night. Her...
The Coming Of Spring Or The Wadyonyondyes Girls : p. 185 THE COMING OF SPRING OR THE WADYONYONDYES GIRLS "Characters" ONEQSAS Mushroom-eater (A Bird) WADYOnYOnDYES One of the Wild Duck family SGANOnHSES GOWA One of the Thunder family DWAUnHDANE GEn Two Feathers (A Rabbit) DOTGEHONDAGWE Half Red-headed (A Woodpecker) AN uncle and his two nephews...
The Twelve Stars : p. 507 THE TWELVE STARS TWELVE children were playing together on the grass near their fathers' cabins. They thought they would play a new game, and they invented one. They joined hands in a circle and danced, not swinging around, but standing in one place. As they danced they sang: "We are dancing...
The Ghost Woman : p. 204 THE GHOST WOMAN IN a Seneca village there was a young man who was an orphan. He had neither home nor relatives. He lived first with one family and then with another. One fall, when the men were getting ready to go deer hunting, the young man asked if he could go. The hunters didn't want him...
The Friendship Of An Otter : p. 434 THE FRIENDSHIP OF AN OTTER ONCE, in the fall of the year, a chief and six or eight families went on a hunting expedition. For many days they found no game. At last the chief, who had as a charm a fawn skin pouch, called the party to his brush house and told each person to take hold...
Mink And His Uncle : p. 381 MINK AND HIS UNCLE "Characters" DWAUnHDANEGEn Two Feathers HATHNDES (Giodaga) Mink TQDOOnHUISH Woodchuck Leggings--the Deceiver A MAN and his nephew lived together in a cabin in the woods. The uncle's name was Two Feathers, the nephew's was Mink 1 (HATHNDES the listener). The uncle...
The Twelve Brothers And Their Uncle, Dagwanoenyent : p. 482 THE TWELVE BROTHERS AND THEIR UNCLE, DAGWANOENYENT "Character" DAGWANOEnYENT Whirlwind or Cyclone ONCE twelve brothers lived together. Everyone knew that these brothers had great power and could do whatever they undertook. Each morning the twelve started off in different directions to hunt...
Tree Worm And His Mother In Law, Barkworm : p. 146 TREE WORM AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW, BARKWORM "Characters" HIENDONIS He, woodmaker (A large tree worm) YENOnGAA She, Shingled Hair YENOGEAUn Ear Enter (Barkworm) GSYONDETHA Meteor HIENDONIS was walking along with all of his effects in a bundle. He didn't know where he came from or where he w...
The Adventures Of Yellowbird : p. 272 THE ADVENTURES OF YELLOWBIRD "Characters" GANYUQDJIDJI Yellowbird GAInSOnHE Daddy-long-legs DNYAKDANE Inchworm GANYQDEn HANWA Mud-turtle DDAHWT Beaver HANISHONOn Muck-worm DNYONDA Eagle NYAGWAIHE The Ancient of Bears NOSGWAIS Toad DJISDA Grasshopper A MAN and his wife and children lived...
G'eha Aids A Deserted Boy : p. 16 GHA AIDS A DESERTED BOY [TOLD BY JOHN JIMISON] "Characters" GHA 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...
The Fox And Rabbit : p. 392 THE FOX AND RABBIT [TOLD BY GEORGE WHITE] "Characters" TONDAYENT White Rabbit NOnGWATGWA FOX ONE day a hunter was going along over a light, freshly fallen snow. His footsteps made no noise. All at once he saw a man coming toward him and that man shouted, "I am a man-eater!" The hunter r...
A Man Pursued : p. 307 A MAN PURSUED BY HIS UNCLE AND BY HIS WIFE [TOLD BY JOHNNY JOHN WHO LEARNED IT FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER, "WHO LIVED TO BE ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS OLD."] AN old man and his nephew lived together in a forest. Their house had a partition through the middle and a door at each end. The uncle...
War Between Senecas And Cherokees : p. 406 WAR BETWEEN SENECAS AND CHEROKEES "Characters" HATCINONDOn HWENIYO Great Spirit ENDEKH GEQGWA, Sun (Orb of Day)--The usual word is Geqgwa NOHNOHSOT Heron HATCINONDOn was a great warrior, the greatest of all the Senecas. Once, when out with a party of warriors, he came to a high cliff...
The Man Eater And His Younger Brother : p. 369 THE MAN-EATER AND HIS YOUNGER BROTHER "Characters" ONGWEIAS Man-Eater SHAGODYOWEQ GOWA, Frost and Great Cold ("People") TWO brothers went on a hunting expedition. After they had been quite a while in the woods and had good luck in finding game, they built a bark house. At first they had...
The Ganyo Gowa : p. 156 THE GANYO GOWA [A DELAWARE STORY TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] "Characters" GANYO GOWA Great Game (White deer) AN old man lived in a forest. All of his relatives had been carried off. He was alone except for an infant that had been left without parents. He fed the child and it grew fast. When...
Summer Conquers Winter : p. 1 SENECA INDIAN MYTHS SUMMER CONQUERS WINTER "Characters" NYAGWAIHE GOWA The Ancient of Bears GNOnSKWA Stone Coat (Ice and Great Cold) THERE was a village where it was the habit of the people to fight a great deal; they were warlike. A boy came to that village. He was perhaps four years old. No...
A Battle Between Frost And Whirlwind : p. 47 A BATTLE BETWEEN FROST AND WHIRLWIND [TOLD BY PETER WHITE] "Characters" DAGWANOEnYENT GOWA Whirlwind or Cyclone GNOnSKWA Frost and Cold HADIQSADOn GNOnSKWA GANYUDAI, The Grave of Frost, or the so-called Stone Coats DAGWANOEnYENT (Whirlwind), an old woman, the oldest of all her people, lived...
Summer Kills Autumn And Is Herself Killed : p. 55 SUMMER KILLS AUTUMN AND IS HERSELF KILLED BY WINTER [TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] "Characters" DAGWANOEnYENT, Whirlwind or Cyclone, always represented as an immense head SHAGODIQDANE The Woman in the South DOnWEnWA SHAGODYOWEG GOWA, God of the Air (Wind People) THERE was a man called DOnWEnW...
Man Eater And His Brother Whirlwind : p. 124 MAN-EATER AND HIS BROTHER WHIRLWIND "Characters" DAGWANOEnYENT Whirlwind or Cyclone ONGWEIAS Man-eater A MAN and his three nephews lived together, but there was a partition in the house; the old man lived on one side of the partition and the nephews on the other. There was no door between;...
The Buffalo Women : p. 198 THE BUFFALO WOMEN (p. 197-8 missing in book) p. 199 The little men got into their stone canoe, rowed away, and were never seen again. Some time after this the Senecas collected a war party to go against the Cherokees. One of the party was the best runner of the Senecas. Before the party...
Whirlwind And Panther : p. 66 WHIRLWIND AND PANTHER "Characters" DAGWANOEnYENT Cyclone or Whirlwind HEnES Panther ONCE, in a Seneca village, a party of men was preparing to go on a hunting expedition. In that village was a young man whom people thought was foolish, not strong of mind. He knew that hunters were getting...
G'aqga' And Skag'edi : p. 366 GQGA AND SKAGDI [TOLD BY GEORGE TITUS] "Characters" GQGA Raven SKAGDI 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...
How Chipmunks Got Their Stripes : p. 437 HOW CHIPMUNKS GOT THEIR STRIPES "Characters" DZOHGWAIS Chipmunk DASIDOWANES Big Feet (one name for bear) A GRANDMOTHER and granddaughter were living together. They had a skin blanket, but it was old and a good deal of the hair was worn off. The two women went to the forest to camp and cut...
Skag'edi And The Man Eater : p. 8 SKAGDI AND THE MAN-EATER [TOLD BY ANDREW FOX] "Characters" SKAGDI ("Half of anything") The Half Man ONGWEIAS Man-eater SKAGDI lived on a hill and a man-eater lived at the foot of the same hill. The man-eater had a little kettle and a piece of chestnut. One day he scraped some of the chestnut...
The Deserted Village : p. 402 THE DESERTED VILLAGE A GRANDFATHER and grandson lived together. They were the only persons left of a large nation. All their relatives and friends had been killed. When the boy was old enough, his grandfather made him a bow and arrows and taught him to hunt. He killed small animals at first...
Whirlwind And Her Husband : p. 220 WHIRLWIND AND HER HUSBAND [TOLD BY PETER WHITE] "Character" DAGWANOEnYENT Whirlwind AN old man and his nephew lived together in a bark house in the woods. The old man made the boy live on fungus and told him always to go South to find it, he must never go toward the North. Each day...
Rain Old Man And The Horned Snake : p. 218 RAIN OLD MAN AND THE HORNED SNAKE (LIGHTNING) ONCE, when the Senecas were at war with the Cherokees, they got very hungry and seeing a bear they chased it till it came to a den and one of the men followed it into the den. When some distance in, he no longer saw the bear but he saw a fire...
The Adventures Of Wolf Marked : p. 22 THE ADVENTURES OF WOLF-MARKED [TOLD BY JOHN JIMISON] "Characters" OTHAIONI HOYADA Wolf-Marked HAQGEEAH Ragged or Shabby Man OTSOON Turkey A BROTHER and sister lived together. The brother loved his sister so well that he did not want her to work; he did all the work himself. Each morning when...
H'otho Conquers Shagodyoweg Gowa : p. 52 HTHO CONQUERS SHAGODYOWEG GOWA "Characters" HTHO Cold Weather (Winter) SHAGODYOWEG GOWA, The Great One who protects us (Wind People) (The sisters personify Spring) A MOTHER and her two daughters lived in an opening in the woods. When the daughters became women the mother said, "You must...
G'eha, The Friend Of A Deserted Boy : p. 62 GHA, THE FRIEND OF A DESERTED BOY "Character" GHA 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 me...
A Little Boy And His Dog, Beautiful Ears : p. 351 A LITTLE BOY AND HIS DOG, BEAUTIFUL EARS [TOLD BY MRS. LOGAN] A MAN and his wife went into the woods to hunt. They built a house of hemlock boughs, and lived happily. After a while a boy was born to them. The family always had a plenty of meat, for the man was a good hunter. While he w...
Dagwanoenyent : p. 256 DAGWANOENYENT (WHIRLWIND) 1 TWO brothers, one a young man, the other a small boy were one day out in the woods together. They heard a great noise overhead and looking up saw a DAGWANOEnYENT, an enormous head, flying above them. The elder brother called out "Gwe"! "gwe"!" The DAGWANOEnYENT...
A Bird In Search Of A Mate : p. 68 A BIRD IN SEARCH OF A MATE [TOLD BY PETER WHITE] A YOUNG woman lived alone on the bank of a large river. One day she thought, "I am old enough to have a husband. It is lonely here by myself." She oiled her hair, painted her face red, put on her best clothes and went to a spring. She dipped...
Title Page : SENECA INDIAN MYTHS COLLECTED BY JEREMIAH CURTIN NEW YORK E.P. DUTTON & COMPANY 681 FIFTH AVENUE [1922] Scanned , July 2004. Redacted By John Bruno Hare. This Text Is In The Public Domain In The United States. These Files May Be Used For Any Non-commercial Purposes, Provided This Notice...
Flying Squirrel And The Seasons : p. 258 FLYING-SQUIRREL AND THE SEASONS [TOLD BY JOHN JIMISON] "Characters" DOSENO DAI Flying-squirrel DJEONYAIK Robin DOWISDOWE Tip-up (a bird) DEnDEnNE Caterpillar DJIHOnSDQGWEn Ants GSYONDETHA Meteor FLYING-SQUIRREL was a poor man. He could kill no game and he didn't know how to get food for his...
The Woman And Dog In The Moon : p. 507 THE WOMAN AND DOG IN THE MOON A WOMAN is sitting in the moon and she is busy embroidering with porcupine quills. Near her is a bright fire, and over the fire hangs a kettle with something boiling in it. By her side sits a large dog that watches her continually. Once in a while she gets up...
The Wren : p. 506 THE WREN A BOY was once told that he must not shoot wrens, for the wren is a strange bird, difficult to hit and mysterious in its ways. One day he went out to hunt when the sun was already beyond the middle of the sky. He soon saw a wren and although warned he determined to try his luck...
The Adventures Of G'anyage Gowa : p. 457 THE ADVENTURES OF GNYAGE GOWA "Characters" GNYAGE GOWA Diver (A Duck) HNGK Canada Goose DZAINOS GOWA Blue Lizard DSDIS Woodpecker DAGWANOEnYENT Cyclone or Whirlwind (Big Head) DZTHWENDOn Humming Bird GASYONDETHA Meteor DJEONYAIK Robin DDAHWT White Beaver HNI SHEONOn Muck-worm ONQGOnT GOW...
Note : p. v NOTE The Indian myths here presented, in their original form as dictated to Mr. Curtin by aged Indians of the Seneca people, were collected by him while acting as an agent of the Bureau of Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institute, and are now published with the permission and approval of th...
Quail Kills Cold Weather And The Thunder Family : p. 360 QUAIL KILLS COLD WEATHER AND THE THUNDER FAMILY "Characters" POPKPKNOS Quail GENOnSKWA Stone Coat (Ice and Cold Weather) A MAN and his wife lived in an ugly-looking cabin in the forest. They had one child, a little boy. When the boy was four or five years old, another child was born, a boy...
The Moose Woman : p. 452 THE MOOSE WOMAN A YOUNG MAN, who lived alone with his mother, decided that he would go to the forest and hunt; that he would stay away a, year, collect and dry meat, and at the end of the year come home. He started and after going a long distance, came to a region where he thought there...
The Great Bear And The Six Hunters : p. 503 THE GREAT BEAR AND THE SIX HUNTERS, OR THE SEVEN STARS OF THE DIPPER SIX men went out hunting, for a long time they found no game. One of their number said he was sick (he was lazy) and they had to make a litter of two poles and a blanket, and four carried him. The sixth member of the party...
Grandfather And Grandson And An Eagle Woman : p. 116 GRANDFATHER AND GRANDSON AND AN EAGLE WOMAN [TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] "Characters" DAGWANOEnYENT Cyclone or Whirlwind GSYONDETHA Meteor DNYONDA Bald Eagle A GRANDFATHER and grandson lived far away from any village. All the people of their nation had been carried off. The grandfather was very...
The Hunter Who Became A Fish : p. 416 THE HUNTER WHO BECAME A FISH TWO brothers started off to hunt. After they had I camped they heard a peculiar noise and one of them said, "I am going to find out what that is," and he followed the sound. It seemed to come from inside a hollow tree. Thinking there might be a bear in the tree...
Hodadeion And His Sister : p. 327 HODADEION AND HIS SISTER [TOLD BY GEORGE TITUS] "Characters" HODADEIOn YEYENTHWS HADJISGWAS Mush-Eater ODZINOWA Wasp DAGWANOEnYENT Whirlwind (Big Head) OTGOEDAQSAIS Otgoe (Wampum) SHAGODYOWEQ One of the Wind Characters DAGWAHGWEOSES Long Eyebrows HODADEIOn and his sister, YEYENTHWS, lived...
Two Young Men Who Went To 'the Blue', Speaker : p. 82 TWO YOUNG MEN WHO WENT TO "THE BLUE" SPEAKER AND DEFINER "Characters" HWENIYO Great Spirit (The Sun) HADENTHENI Speaker HANIGONGEnDATHA Definer NYAGWAIHE GOWA The Ancient of Bears GADJIQSA Husk False Faces GNOnSKWA Frost and Cold IN a village, in olden times, lived two young men who were...
A Brother And Sister Pursued : p. 443 A BROTHER AND SISTER PURSUED BY A MAN-EATER [TOLD BY HENRY JACOBS] A MAN-EATER stole a little girl and carried her to his house in the woods. There was a partition in the house. The man-eater stayed on one side of the partition and the girl the other side. He brought deer meat for the girl...
The Great Snake Battle : p. 414 THE GREAT SNAKE BATTLE IN olden times the Indians had a great battle with snakes, and this is how it happened: One day when a man was hunting he saw a rattlesnake and tormented it. He caught the snake, made a hole through its body and putting a bark string through the hole fastened...
Child Fed And Cared For : p. 438 CHILD FED AND CARED FOR BY A PORCUPINE AND A BEAR A WIDOWER, who had a little son, married a second time, and soon after he took his wife and child and went to the forest to camp and hunt. The three lived happily till the woman began to think that her husband loved the child better than he...
Okteondon And His Uncle, The Planter : OKTEONDON AND HIS UNCLE, THE PLANTER OR WINTER DELAYING SPRING [TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] "Characters" OKTEONDOn Roots, or the Rooted One HAIENTHWS Planter WADYOnYOnDYES, Wild Duck People (Wild Duck is Tonwe) HTHO Cold Weather OKTEONDOn lived in the woods with his uncle HAIENTHWS. The young man lay...
Okteondon And His Uncle : p. 134 OKTEONDON AND HIS UNCLE [TOLD BY ANDREW JOHNNY-JOHN] "Characters" OKTEONDOn Roots HAIENTHWS The Planter SHGOWENOTHA The Punisher ONGWEIAS Man-eater OKTEONDOn lived in the woods with his uncle HAIENTHWS. In front of the uncle's house was a great elm tree. The boy lay at the foot of this tree...
A Dead Man Speaks Through Fire : p. 422 A DEAD MAN SPEAKS THROUGH FIRE [TOLD BY HENRY JACOB] "Characters" NYAGWAIHE The Ancient of Bears DZOGOn The Little People A WOMAN and her son lived in one house, a brother and sister in another. The old woman's son and the brother looked alike, were the same height and could scarcely be...
Two Seneca Women Escape From Cherokee Captivity : p. 419 TWO SENECA WOMEN ESCAPE FROM CHEROKEE CAPTIVITY TWO sisters were gathering wood not far from home. The elder sister had a baby with her, a little boy. A party of Cherokees captured them. When the husband and friends found that the women had been carried away, they called a council, and it...
The Man Eating Wife, The Little Old Wom : p. 76 THE MAN-EATING WIFE, THE LITTLE OLD WOMAN AND THE MORNING STAR [TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] "Characters" GAnDEWITHA Morning Star ONGWEIAS Man-eater A MAN and a woman lived by themselves in a clearing in the forest. The man hunted; the woman raised beans and corn. One day, when the woman s...
A Race Between Bear And Turtle : p. 165 A RACE BETWEEN BEAR AND TURTLE "Characters" HANWA Turtle NOnGWATGWA Fox DASIDOWANES One name for Bear (Big Feet) AN old man was going along, slowly and surely, by himself. After a while he met a man, who asked, "Where are you going?" "I am going to the East to see what kind of people live...
A Racoon Story : p. 449 A RACOON STORY AN uncle and nephew lived together. One day when the nephew was in the woods, hunting, a handsome young woman came to the cabin. She had a basketful of bread on her shoulders. Unstrapping the basket and putting it down in front of the old man, she said, "Here is marriage...
A Warrior Cared For : p. 394 A WARRIOR CARED FOR BY WOLVES "Characters" ODJ GANOGWIOEOn AMONG the Senecas there was a war chief named GANOGWIOEOn. Once, with ten men, he went on the warpath to the Cherokee country. They found the Cherokees on the watch and could do nothing. Then the chief said to his men, "I'll go...
A Young Man Rescued : p. 303 A YOUNG MAN RESCUED BY A TOAD "Character" NOSGWAIS Toad TWO brothers lived together. The elder hunted but never brought home any game. The younger noticed that his brother's back was always bloody, as though he had been carrying freshly killed game. He couldn't understand this, so one day...
Partridge And Turtle And Their Cousins Wolves : p. 293 PARTRIDGE AND TURTLE AND THEIR COUSINS WOLVES [TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] TWO brothers, Partridge and Turtle, lived together. Wolves, their cousins, lived in a house not far away. One day old man Wolf said, "You had better all go out hunting." They started off, going toward the East in Indi...
Dogs Save Their Master : p. 399 DOGS SAVE THEIR MASTER THERE was a Seneca, who was very fond of hunting. He had two dogs that were so strong that they could kill a bear. One winter this man started off to hunt. After traveling two days he camped and began to look for game. He hunted many days and killed a great many...
The Trials And Death Of Inchworm : p. 96 THE TRIALS AND DEATH OF INCHWORM [TOLD BY JOHNNY JOHN] "Characters" DNYAKDANE, Inchworm, who was also called DDAWNYE (He who travels everywhere) GANYQDEn, Mud turtle, who was also called HNEnYOWANE (Big Bones) WAYOn Rabbit, also called DAQSIDES (Long Foot) GQGA, Raven, also called SHAGONAGES...
The Creation Of Men : p. 192 THE CREATION OF MEN (INDIANS) [TOLD BY "ESQ" JOHNSON] "Esq" Johnson's account of the origin of Good and Evil as it was told him by old men. "SHAGODYOWEG is often translated False Face, but the literal meaning is "The Great One Who Protects Them (Mankind)" from sickness and pestilence...
The Young Woman And Thunder : p. 288 THE YOUNG WOMAN AND THUNDER [TOLD BY GEORGE TITUS] "Characters" OTHGWEnDONIS Flintmaker OnHDAGWJA Good Ear DONYONT Red-hot HADEONIS Netmaker HNO Thunder DJONKDJOnKWEn Chickadee ONE day a stranger went into a cabin where a man and his wife and four children lived and asked to marry...
Turkey's Brother Goes In Search Of A Wife : p. 474 TURKEY'S BROTHER GOES IN SEARCH OF A WIFE Characters GASYONDETHA Meteor OTSOON Turkey TQDOOnHUISH Woodchuck Leggings (the Deceiver) AN old man had two nephews: one, perhaps, fifteen or sixteen, the other two or three years old. The three lived together in a bark house in the woods. When...
The Feast Of The Whirlwinds : p. 427 THE FEAST OF THE WHIRLWINDS "Characters" DZOGOn The Little People NYAGWAIHE The Ancient of Bears DAGWANOEnYENT, Whirlwind or Cyclone, always represented as Flying Heads (Heads without bodies) DZOGOn and his uncle lived together in the woods. When the boy was old enough, his uncle taught him...
The Chipmunk And The Bear : p. 505 THE CHIPMUNK AND THE BEAR THE Bear thought herself a very powerful creature and was always trying to exhibit her strength before other animals. One day she got into a dispute with a Chipmunk and the Chipmunk asked, "Why do you boast so much? You have no great power." The Bear was angry...
The Deserted Boy : p. 247 THE DESERTED BOY WHEN the Senecas lived at Canandaigua, one of their medicine men notified them that something terrible was coming, something which would cause great loss of life. The people were frightened. They quarreled with one another and became suspicious even of their children. One...
Thousand Legs And Bright Body His Son : p. 298 THOUSAND-LEGS AND BRIGHT BODY HIS SON "Characters" SADZAWSKI Thousand-legs (A Worm) DOYDASTETHE Bright Body DD Blue Jay SHAGOYAGNTHA He Hides Them GQGA Raven YEQSNYE Spinner (of the Spider Family) DEWAQSOnTHWS Flea THOUSAND-LEGS (a worm) lived in a house with his wife and seven sons; only...
W'ishakon And His Friend Visit The Pl'ethoak : p. 206 WSHAKON AND HIS FRIEND VISIT THE PLTHOAK (THUNDERS) [A DELAWARE STORY TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] "Characters" WSHAKON PLTHOAK Thunders--Thunder is Pltho AN old man and a little boy lived together with great affection. They were not relatives; they called each other "Friend." One day the old...
The Rabbit Brothers : p. 374 THE RABBIT BROTHERS [TOLD BY JOHN ARMSTRONG] "Characters" TONDAYENT White Rabbit DAGWANOEnYENT Whirlwind SIX brothers and a sister lived in a long house in a clearing in the woods. The house stood East and West with a door at each end and a fire in the middle. Three brothers occupied one...
Thunder Destroys Horned Snake : p. 430 THUNDER DESTROYS HORNED SNAKE "Characters" DONOnGES Snake (Long horns) HNO Thunder A MOTHER and daughter lived in a bark house on the edge of a village. Many men wanted the girl for a wife, for she was nice-looking, but to each man she said, "You are not such a man as I want." One day...
The Adventures Of Han'ish'eonon : p. 212 THE ADVENTURES OF HANSHONON [TOLD BY JOHN JIMISON] "Characters" GENDGAHDnYATHA June-bug HANSHONOn Muck-worm ONOWHDA Angleworm OTGNDAHEn Snake (red-bellied) OSHONYQDA corn-worm SEHDOnHGWADE Wood-tick A MAN lived in the ground. His name was HANSHONOn. One morning this man thought, "I ought...
The Grandmother And Grandson : p. 167 THE GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDSON A GRANDMOTHER and her grandson lived by themselves. After the boy had become quite large his grandmother said, "Here are the bow and arrows that your uncle had. A witch killed him, you may take the bow and arrows and learn to use them." The next morning she said...
Turtle On The War Path : p. 410 TURTLE ON THE WAR-PATH A TURTLE lived near a river. One day he thought, "I am lonesome, I'll go on the war-path," and getting into a canoe he rowed up the river, singing "I am on the war-path! I am on the war-path!" When he had gone a short distance, a man came to the bank, and called...
A Man Chased : p. 494 A MAN CHASED BY THE ANCIENT OF LIZARDS "Characters" DAGWANOEnYENT Big Head (Whirlwind) OGEnHWAN Gnat SWEnGEDAIGEA Hawk (Hen-hawk) GASYONDETHA Meteor NYAGWAIHE The Ancient of Bears OSHADA Mist or Dusty Vapor DZAINOS GOWA Blue Lizard, the Ancient of Lizards ONCE there was a large village...
Swan's Daughters Marry Earthquake's Son : p. 324 SWAN'S DAUGHTERS MARRY EARTHQUAKE'S SON "Characters" OWE YEGOnHDJI Old Woman Swan DEnDZOWES Split the Earth (Earthquake) THAGOnHSWES He Splits His Face OWA Owl ONE day Swan said to her two daughters, "My daughters, I have had a great deal of trouble in rearing you. For a long time I've...
The Bird Medicine : p. 226 THE BIRD MEDICINE A SENECA named Bloody Hand had great love for the birds of the air that ate flesh and for the animals of the earth that ate flesh. When he killed a deer, he cut the flesh into pieces and called birds to eat it, or he gave it to the wolves. Sometimes he carried home a small...
G'aqga : p. 106 GQGA "Characters" GQGA Raven DZODJGIS Blackbirds GAISGEn SE Ground-birds GANOGESHEGEA Sparrows DJEONYAIK Robin HNISHEONOn 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...
Uncle And Nephew : p. 487 UNCLE AND NEPHEW [TOLD BY HENRY JACOB] AN uncle and nephew lived off in a forest. There had been a large family, but all were dead except the two. The uncle and nephew were the last of their race. One day the uncle said, "My nephew, you have grown to be a large boy. Now you must learn...
The Boy Who Learned The Songs Of Birds : p. 179 THE BOY WHO LEARNED THE SONGS OF BIRDS TWO brothers lived by themselves and supposed they were the only persons in the world. The younger was a little fellow but he did the thinking for both. Whatever he said the elder brother did. One day he said,-- "Brother, kill a turkey for me. I want...
Cold And Frost, Or Stone Coat Women : p. 152 COLD AND FROST, OR STONE COAT WOMEN "Characters" HNO Thunder GNOnSKWA Stone Coat (Cold and Frost) ONCE four men started off on a hunting expedition, They went in canoes up a large river. These men were the first men to make a canoe. When the chief of the party said, "We will land at King...
H'otho : p. 257 HTHO (COLD) ONE day a man who was out hunting met HTHO and said to him, "You cannot freeze me, no matter bow cold you are." "I can," said HTHO. They had a long discussion and at last agreed that when night came they would have a trial of strength. The man went home, carried in wood enough...
Bald Eagle Sends Mud Turtle To The Edge : p. 176 BALD EAGLE SENDS MUD-TURTLE TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD "Characters" DNYONDA Eagle GANYQDEn HANWA Mud-turtle ONCE upon a time, a bald-headed old man lived on the top of a mountain, and his wife and three children lived near a lake about half way to the summit of the same mountain. Each day...
A Lazy Man : p. 320 A LAZY MAN "Characters" DAGWANOEnYENT Whirlwind HEnES Panther IN Geneseo there was a young man, an orphan, who went around among the people, staying wherever kindhearted persons would keep him, sleeping on the ground by a brush fire, and eating whatever was given to him. When he was twenty...
Owl And His Jealous Wife : p. 128 OWL AND HIS JEALOUS WIFE [TOLD BY JOHN JIMISON] "Characters" OWA Owl (horned) NOSGWAIS Toad DZEGA Raccoon The Invisible man was the Wind THERE was a man and wife, OWA People (owls), who quarreled every night. When morning came, all. was pleasant again. One night a visitor came and as so...
