The Spirit Wife

The Religion of the Luiseño Indians of Southern California, by Constance Goddard DuBois, [1908], at sacred-texts.com

p. 153

THE SPIRIT WIFE.

Some years ago the people from the Potrero district used to go up to an old village site on Palomar mountain, Pahamuk, ²⁷⁷ near where Bailey's place is now, at the season for gathering acorns; and while they still lived there, a young man abused his wife. He scolded and beat her all the time, and she was always sad. She got sick and did not want to live. She would rather die.

She had a little baby boy just beginning to crawl. Soon the woman died, and the man was left alone with his baby. He had to carry the baby about with him all the time, and the baby cried.

The man went up the mountain to gather acorns, and left the baby lying under a tree. The baby cried and cried, until at last the spirit of the mother came and took the baby in her arms.

The man came down the mountain and found the woman there. She spoke to him and said that he had been so cruel to her that she had had to leave him; but that now he must never be unkind to her again. She had come back to him because he and the baby were suffering without her. She could stay with him as long as he was kind to her, but no longer.

So he promised never to treat her harshly again.

She used to make the wiwish, acorn mush; ²⁷⁷ but it was never good. It was always watery. The man was sure he would never abuse his wife again. But when she made the mush just as she used to, and it was thin, he acted as before and lifted his hand to beat her.

"You promised not to be angry," she said, "but now you are doing the same as formerly. I see that you cannot be trusted to be good. So now I shall have to leave you." With this she turned into a dove and flew away.

The man fell on his back; and he and his baby stayed alone.

Footnotes

153:277 Ibid.—S.