Wishram texts / by Edward Sapir ; together with Wasco tales and myths, collected by Jeremiah Curtin and edited by Edward Sapir.

  • Edward Sapir
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Wishram texts / by Edward Sapir ; together with Wasco tales and myths, collected by Jeremiah Curtin and edited by Edward Sapir. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    there outside,” and Ea^le increased the heat of the sun on the spot where the man was, so that he burst imme- diately. It was a body-louse that had put on the form of a man, danced, then taken its natural form, and disap- peared nobody knew whither, and no man was able to find out who he was till Eagle killed him with the heat of the sun. He had often been to dances and shown himself in this way, for a living. Now Eagle and Eish-Hawk went out on the ground to run. The sun began to grow hot; they ran together to the place where they turned, and got halfway back. Then Eagle brought on a rain-storm, and it grew too muddy for Eish-Hawk; he got all wet, and Eagle ran away from him. Old Coyote had to bring his son-in-law home; he was almost dead. About the middle of the winter. Coyote wanted Eagle to dive with Fish-Hawk. Eagle said, “I don’t know anything about diving, but I’ll try.”^ Coyote and his son-in-law came to the water. Coyote had five withes stuck under his belt, which he was going to give to Fish- Hawk. Eagle came bringing his five withes in his hand. Each had a place open in the ice; both went far up in the air, then dived down. Eagle struck the hole and went under the ice; but he had caused Fish-Hawk’s place to fill with ice, so that Fish-Hawk struck his head and nearly killed himself. Coyote raised him up, and he was just coming to his senses when Eagle came from under the ice with five strings of salmon and other fish. Eagle went home and sang part of the night. The feathers he wore for ornament fell through the bed; he told his broth- ers to hunt for them, then he gave the feathers to them. ^ This characteristic modesty of Eagle in laying no claim to great running or diving prowess, although he wins out in the sequel, is illustrated also in Wishram Texts, ]). 81 of this volume, where Eagle claims to have no power in gaml)ling, yet defeats his o])ponents.