Hupa texts / by Pliny Earle Goddard.

  • Pliny Earle Goddard
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Hupa texts / by Pliny Earle Goddard. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and stepped into the water. Entering the eddy he struck the water with his belt. Then he could see under the water. Toward the south he saw someone sitting with one leg each side of the fire. He went to him and addressed him. He did not reply. Everyway he spoke to him but failed to get an answer. Then he threw him into the fire. He burned up. That was salmon’s heart. YImantuwihyai carried the salmon out, built a fire, cooked the salmon, and ate it. Then he went on south to the world’s edge. When he got there bluejay, a woman who would become a Wintun, was there. She greeted YImantuwihyai as her nephew. All kinds of people have grown at the places you have passed,” she said. Yes, they had grown here and there as I came along,” said Ylman- tuwiuyai. Did you eat along with them?” asked bluejay. Yes,” said YImantuwihyai. Then he started back this way from the south. At Xontenme he camped. The next night he spent at Southfork. The follow- ing day he came down to Xovmhkut. He felt sleepy, so lying down by the trail he went to sleep. When he woke up he felt heavy. Pie could not roll over. He went to sleep again. When he woke up a second time, his belly was so swollen that it faudy loomed up over him. He looked around and saw redwood sorrel* had grown up there. He chewed that and it cured him. He made that to be everybody’s medicine. He got up. This plant will be Indian’s medicine,” he said. Then he went back to Tcoxoltcwedih where he spent the night. The next day he went back across the ocean to the north where he became lost from men. He went to his grandmothert and said: I have made the medicines for Indians.” * Oxalis Or eg ana. t This is the first mention of Yimantuwinyai’s antecedents. A contradic- tion that the first person to exist had a grandmother would not disturb the Indian’s mind; hut this myth is very evidently a collection of many which may have been told in the first place about other persons. When they were strung together they were all made to relate to Yimantuwinyai.
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