Thursday, October 24, 2019

Reading Notes B: Apache

An old woman gave her boy a present so he might become a medicine man. One day the woman said to the boy, "I am hungry. Do you have any food?"

The boy told her to come back tomorrow and she won't be hungry. The next day the son made a corral close to the river. He gathered men and they killed antelope. Then they did the same thing the next day. After that if the son whistled the antelope would come in to the corral. Eventually the woman said, "that is enough. My wrists ache."

The woman asked her son for the gift back, but he told her he already gave it to the supernatural. The woman cursed him. The son left and he came across a place called Sticks Swim Around. He set up his home there. People came after him, but they could not find him. Two years later men came to his home. They were at war with another tribe. They heard a voice that said, "you must be my people.

They replied, "yes we are."

Then he dropped them a buffalo with its head and back to them. They wanted to leave to attack the warring tribe, but the man said to go in a day becasue they aren't aware of their presence. He told the men, "you'll surround them at noon. Bring me the all black horse. The one with no white spots."

He continued, "If at any time you are in need, make smoke for me. My home is by Sheep Horn Mountain. If you want anything blow smoke towards that place."

The next day the people went in daylight and surrounded the other tribe at noon just like the man said. They saw the black horse with no white and kept it with them. They came by the mans home and the horse took off towards the lake.

 


Bibliography
Jicarilla Apache Texts edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911) = New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII.

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