18. Two Shamans (Eñe´ñịlịt ñi´räq).
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p. 100
18. Two Shamans (Eñe´ñịlịt ñi´räq).
There were two shamans. One was Teñququ´ñị, the other Rịġowa´ʟị.1 (They lived in) a village. Then the Re´kkeñ attacked them: they wanted to murder them. The Re´kkeñ (pitched) camp (close to them). In the evening the people laughed, — the human people.
Those two were genuine shamans, especially Rịġowa´ʟị. Amid the talk in the night-time Rịġowa´ʟị was listening, while the other people continued to laugh. Then he said, "Be silent! Here are strange ears. Well, let me look for them!"
He went out. And all at once he saw them. They were still building their (travelling) tents. Their camp was quite close by. He went to Teñququ´ñị. The people of Teñququ´ñị's house were also laughing loudly. Oh, Rịġowa´ʟị called out, "Halloo, Teñququ´ñị!" — "Halloo!" — "Oh, are you aware (of it)?" — "Aware of what?" — "Oh, they want to murder us!"
The other one came out. Rịġowa´ʟị said, "Let us visit them!" They prepared for the visit. They put on [their coats,] their shamanistic coats. Oh, they came to the camp of the Re´kkeñ. An old man was reclining on a sledge, — a ke´lẹ old man.
They stood up opposite the ke´lẹ, but the ke´lẹ could not see anything. Then the old man spoke thus: "Oh, hurry up and build the tents! We want to go and bring provisions from this direction." Oh, they finished (their p. 101 tents). Those two, however, were still listening. Again the old man said, "Oh, where are the young men? Bring the divining-stone here!" In reality, however, this was a human skull.
He began to practise divination. The shamans looked on, face to face. "Oh, we came (here) for provisions! The people must have provisions." He moved the skull with his staff; but the skull was motionless, it refused to move. "Oh, how extraordinary! [Dear me!] Wherefore is this divining-stone motionless? It is very strange with us. We are unable to divine as to our getting provisions. Probably they have warriors."
They pointed with their staffs at this old man while he was practising divination. All at once he started up. "Oh, I feel pain!" In a short time he was near dying. Then those spoke to each other, (saying,) "Let us go and slay them all!" — "All right!"
One of them, before his departure, promised to sacrifice a dog. He promised it to his ke´lẹ before his departure. The other one promised nothing. Teñququ´ñị struck at the people with his staff, — at the ke´lẹ-people. Immediately the ke´lẹ-people fled. The ground (all around) became like water, [so loose became the ground.] At the same time the ground opened, — it opened in all directions, by itself.
The (two) human shamans nearly vanished underground, as under the water. Teñququ´ñị, the one who promised nothing (to his assistant spirits), [froze] stuck in the ground (as deep as) about the middle of his body, and could not disengage hlmself. Rịġowa´ʟị p. 102 saw Teñququ´ñị, (and said,) "Oh, how strange you are! [Strange are you.] You are a shaman. Have you promised (anything)?" — "Oh, nothing." — "Oh, the deuce! Try and sing (your song)." — "Oh, I cannot." — "Oh, try and call to your ke´lẹ."
He tried (to assume) the voice of his ke´lẹ, but could not do it. And the ground was (quite) frozen. "Oh, do something to me! I will pay you." (The other one) said, "Well, now, tell me, what will those payments be?" — "Well, a shirt of thin reindeer-skin, with an (inner) double set (belonging) to it,1 I will give you also a thong of thong-seal hide and a white-haired dog."
After that, Rịġowa´ʟị began to sing in the open. Very soon a walrus spirit came (to them). He continued to sing, and several walrus came: they emerged out of the frozen ground. Rịġowa´ʟị said to Teñququ´ñị, "They come for your sake. Well, now try to stir about yourself, and so help them."
Then they emerged quite close to this one who stuck in the ground. They loosened (the ground) quite close to him, and he stirred. It proved to be quite on the surface. So they made him loose (from the ground).
They came back. He gave (to his companion) the thin fur shirt, and the white dog, and the thong of thong-seal hide. They continued to live there, and the ke´let again wanted to murder them. Two persons came, driving reindeer. These were Cough and Rheum.
The shamans went out. Rheum was saying to Cough, "You enter (first)!" The shamans crouched near by (motionless). p. 103 Those two were approaching (the house), but again they fled, frightened [with superstitious fear].
Again they approached. This time Cough said to Rheum, "Well, you enter!" At the same time they did not notice the shamans. Again Cough said to Rheum, "Well, you enter!" And once more they fled. Nevertheless they gradually drew nearer than before, and were now close to the entrance.
Another time Cough said to Rheum, "You enter! You belong to the nose."1 And at last Rheum entered. They caught him, [consequently]. He roared out from shear fright. Oh, Cough, of course, fled. Oh, the poor thing wept almost, "Oh, this Cough! He himself did not want to enter!"
They went on asking him, "What are you?" — "Nothing, we are just (nothing)." — "Oh, yes! You are Rheum." — "Well, I am Rheum." — "All right, we shall kill you now."
Then, being frightened, he told them everything. (He said,) "Thus I enter into (the noses) of men." — "And the other one?" — "He is Cough." — "Oh, such are you! We shall throw you to the ground." — "Oh, please do not kill me! I will give you a dog." — "You lie!" — "[Oh, yes!] (I do not). Just follow me!"
Rịġowa´ʟị followed him. They went to his sledge. Rheum [the friend] drove only one reindeer. In due time they came to his house. Near the house a dog was tied up. Its ears reached to the ground.
p. 104
"This one I give you. Have you a female dog?" — "Yes, I have a female dog." — "Through that one will send (you the dog)." — "Oh, you are deceiving me!" — "Indeed, as soon as you get back, the female dog will be pregnant."
Then the shaman went home. He came (to his house). The female dog very soon became pregnant. Soon she brought forth (pups). One of those born was this one recently seen (in the house of the ke´lẹ), the long-eared one. In truth, (the ke´lẹ) sent it. A strong rib of whale served as its tying-stick. He was (kept) tied up. And every evening he barked incessantly.
And lo! this dog could be heard even from another (very distant) land. Then the next day he was still barking, (the whole night, and) even after sunrise. In the night-time the ke´let came again. The master (of the dog) slept quite soundly. So they put a net around the tent.
They began poking under the tent-covers with the tips of their driving-rods, that all the little souls should come out. Then the dog snapped his tying-stick (in two) and went out and barked loud. It wanted to attack the ke´let. So the leader of the ke´let said, "Oh, what the deuce does this dog want! Let our own dog loose! Let our dog bite it!" [So they set it loose.] So they set loose a dog, which also was very large.
Then the long-eared (dog) entered the house. It simply caught its master with its mouth and carried him out. Oh, the ke´let began to shout, "Let us make haste!" And the master p. 105 awoke while they were galloping about. He was a shaman, and in a moment he was on the alert. Then again he struck at the ke´let with a stick, and killed a number of ke´let, slew (all).
They continued to live there. Rịġowa´ʟị went to a neighboring camp. He went with a dog-sledge. His dogs were four (in number). One of them he left with his wife. His wife said to him, "Take also this one for your use!" Her husband said to her, "Why, it is your spleen-companion!"1
The husband remained there quite a long time. Evening came, the sun went down. Then from the direction of sunset came a ke´lẹ. He passed by the entrance (of the house). The dog barked again, being tied up, as before.
Then the ke´lẹ approached again. And the dog began to speak: "Oh, now, get your sledge ready and put the children in readiness upon the sledge, and my harness have in readiness."
They approached again. The dog rushed at them, but they were not afraid at all [of the dog]. And it could only bark at them, "Ġịñ, ġịñ!" dog ran back to the house. It said to the woman, "Oh, attach me, put my harness on!" She attached it. They departed eastward [windward] and left the house.
Then the ke´lẹ entered (the house). He staid there in the house. The husband (of the woman) came to the house. His three dogs had a load of meat. But on coming to the house, the dogs threw themselves down, and p. 106 would not obey when he tried to urge them on, though they were quite near to the house.
They were lying flat on the ground, and refused to go to the house, because that ke´lẹ was in the sleeping-room. [Subsequently] (the man) killed one dog, and moved (the sledge) along, dragging it himself. He took a few (steps), and (the dogs) lay down again. The man said, "How very extraordinary! It seems that (my people at home) are visited by the ke´let."
Then he drew his big shoulder-belt knife, which was on the sledge. Then he shouted, "Halloo!" He heard only (a sound) like this from the sleeping-room: "Mm!" He stood, knife in hand, "Oh, make haste!" — "Mm!" — "Make haste, I say!" — "Mm!"
In the mean time the ke´lẹ cautiously opened the front cover a little way and looked out. One of his eyes (appeared) just like a lamp. (The man) struck at it, and cut the eye. The eye-fluid spurted out in great quantity. Then (the ke´lẹ) came out, and merely looked back upon the house. It became stone.
(The man) saw the tracks of runners, made by (the sledge of) his fleeing wife. He went on along these tracks. He discovered (his family) in a neighboring (camp). "Oh, you are alive!" — "Yes! Indeed, we were saved by this dog." The husband said, "Such a one are you!"1 Oh, they visited the house, and this has turned into [a] stone [house].2
They saw (entered) the house and looked around. (The woman) lighted a lamp. There was everything (scattered about). p. 107 It was the contents of the ke´lẹ's abdomen, which came out, — everything (made) of iron [scissors, knives], all kinds of peltries [wolverene-skins, wolf-skins, bear-skins], — in a word, everything, simply a mass of wealth.
Oh, the husband entered (the house), then the wife entered, and the child entered. The husband, being a shaman, said, "Close your eyes! Do not look up!" Then he beat his drum. The sleeping-room became as before. It was their sleeping-room, the same as before. Still the outer tent was of stone.
Again he said to them, "Quick, close your eyes!" Again he beat his drum. And he said to them, "Now, look (about)!" And the house, which had recently been of stone, had become an (ordinary) house. Just then they looked on the riches, and all was simply turned to dry leaves and to the boughs of a stunted willow.
They lived there, founded a settlement, grew in number, and became a numerous people. That is all.
Told by Rịke´wġi, a Maritime Chukchee man, at Mariinsky Post, October, 1900.
Footnotes
1 The first name means "Good Vulva;" the second, "Hairy Buttocks." As to names of such character among the Chukchee, compare, Vol. VII of this series p. 516.
1 The Chukchee fur clothes are almost always double (cf. Vol. VII, p. 235).
1 A play on words. Ya´qačịn means "belonging to the nose," also "a man playing the part of a nose," one going first, "ring-leader."
2 This description of Rheum's dog probably has some connection with the long-eared dogs of civilized people, which the Chukchee have occasion to see.
1 Compare Vol. VII, p. 563, Footnote 2.
1 This is as much as to say, "There is no reason to be glad, (because of the house turned to stone.)"
2 Compare Vol. VII, p. 285.
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