The Pauma Luiseño Story of Dakwish

Dakwish was born at Pawai, a place south from Escondido in the Diegueño country. His grandparents were born from Tamaiawot. The following is only part of the story concerning him, the part which relates to Temecula, not the part which has to do with the Diegueño country.

In Temecula there was a chief called Tukupar, which in Gabrielino means dupash, sky. He had a son who was named Naukit. Naukit went rabbit hunting to: Toatwi, Santa Gertrudes, near Temecula. There Dakwish met him and killed him. Tukupar looked for his son but could not find him. He came back and told his people that his son was lost. He started out again. At a large hill he saw his dead son. He knew that Dakwish had killed him. But Tukupar also was a medicine-man, very much of a medicine-man. Going back he called all his people. He told them that Dakwish had killed his son and that he was going to see Dakwish.

Now there was no ordinary way to enter the house of Dakwish, for the door was a large rock; but Tukupar, being a doctor, made himself into a raven. He was carrying two rabbits with him. He found the mother of Dakwish sitting. She was frightened. "What are you doing here? No one, comes here," she said. "I came to see Dakwish," he told her. She said: "Why do you want to see him? He is destructive. He will kill you. Go into the house and I will let you know when he comes." Tukupar went in and sat down.

In the, evening Dakwish came. It thundered and the wind roared and rocks rolled down the hills. Dakwish greeted his mother. The old woman told him that Tukupar had come. "Yes?" he said. "If my cousin is here I will roast him and eat him because I have caught no one to-day. I have had bad luck." His mother said: "No, do not do that. He is your cousin." "Be quiet," he told her. Dakwish went in to catch him. He took hold of him. Tukupar disappeared. He was behind Dakwish. He said: "Behave yourself, my cousin." Then the old woman said, "Leave your cousin alone." Dakwish answered: "Why did you not say that he was my cousin?" Then he asked Tukupar: "How did you come in?" He gave his pipe to Tukupar to smoke. Tukupar had his own and smoked that. He did

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not smoke Dakwish's pipe. Dakwish said, "I did not think you were a man. No one can come into this house."

Then Dakwish went out and brought in food for Tukupar. He brought him human flesh. "Eat this," he said. "Very well," said Tukupar. But he did not eat it. He ate the two rabbits he had brought. Dakwish was behind him. He asked him: "Did you eat the meat I gave you?" "Yes," said Tukupar. "Do you ever eat that kind?" Dakwish asked him, and again Tukupar said, "Yes." It was dark where he ate. Now Dakwish made a light to see if the meat was gone, He said: "I did not think you would eat it. It is human meat." But Tukupar told him: "Yes, I was hungry and ate it."

Dakwish said, "I am surprised you have come. No one has ever done so. Now dance." Tukupar said: "No, you dance. I want to see you, my cousin. I do not know how to dance." Dakwish laughed. Then Tukupar stood up. He danced while Dakwish sang for him. As Tukupar danced he broke his own arms and legs. Dakwish said: "I did not think you were a man. Now I see you are a man. Now I see how you were able to come here." Then Tukupar rubbed his arms, his legs, and his body, and was well again.

Then he said: "Now, my cousin, you dance." Dakwish said: "No, I do not know how. You are a good dancer. I cannot do as well as you." "Come, do as I did," said Tukupar. Dakwish sat hanging his head. Then Tukupar told him: "My cousin, you say you are a man. I am a man too." Then Dakwish stood up. Tukupar sang the same song for him. He said: "I will sing the song I learned from you." Then Dakwish danced and the wind blew hard. Tukupar said: "Do not do that to me." He was thinking how to catch him. Dakwish did as Tukupar had done before. He broke his bones, cut off his hair, threw it away, broke off his legs, and threw them away. Then he flew about with only body and head, and broke his head apart with his hands. From the middle of his body feather ropes (pewish) grew out and spread around the entire bead and body. Then he put himself together again.

Now Tukupar threw gnats (sengmalum) into the eyes of Dakwish so that he could not see. He rubbed his eyes and said: "My cousin, cure me. I know you did this to me." Tukupar said "You are a man. You broke your body. Why do you not cure yourself?" Then he cured Dakwish.

Now Dakwish said: "My cousin, you have bad thoughts against me." "No, I have merely come to see you," said Tukupar. "Why have you come, my cousin?" Tukupar said: "I have come to see you because I had a son. He is dead." Dakwish was quiet. I came to ask you if you had seen him anywhere." Dakwish said: "What

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will you do? I killed him." Tukupar said: "I want only my son's hair." Dakwish told him: "It is well. It is night now. In the morning we will see. Stay here, my cousin. I am going now. I am going to travel. There is war and I want to go to it. I will see you in the morning." Then he left Tukupar.

The mother of Dakwish came in. "What did he do with you?" she asked. "My cousin danced," said Tukupar. The old woman said: "He is bad. If he comes in the morning and tells you to stay, do not do it. He will kill you." "Very well, my father's sister," said Tukupar.

In the morning Dakwish came back. There was wind and thunder and it roared and shook. "How are you, my cousin?" he said. Tukupar stood up. Dakwish was afraid of him. He asked: "Tell me what you said last night." Tukupar said: "I want my son's hair." Dakwish said: "Very well. Look there where the masawat is" (an ornament made of or containing hair). Tukupar could not find his son's hair. He said so. Dakwish said: "I cannot help it. There is another masawat. Perhaps it is in that." Tukupar could not find it there. Dakwish said: "That is all. I have no more." Tukupar said "Yes, You have another." He went to another one, a new one. Dakwish was ashamed. He went away with it for a little while. Then he came back. He had hidden Tukupar's son's hair, and said: "There is nothing there. Don't you see?" Tukupar said: "My cousin, you have it under your arm." Then Dakwish hit him in the face with the hair. He said: "You came here to cry." Tukupar said: "That is what I want, my cousin," and he put the hair around him. Then he cried. After he had cried, he started to go. Dakwish said: "Are you saying good-by?" and tried to take hold of him. The old woman signed Tukupar to go off quickly. She wanted him to go at once. Then Tukupar flew away, down from the mountain to the ground.

He ht, stood up, and went home. Then he cried and called all his people. When they were all together he took out the hair for all of them to see, and they all cried. After they had cried he told them to go home and sleep and come in the morning. In the morning he said: "I will do to him what he did to my son when he killed him."

Then he went to invite Dakwish to visit him. When he came to where Dakwish had killed his son, a figure in the stone spoke to him. It was where his son had lain when Dakwish had killed him. The stone can still be seen. It said: "Father, go back. Do not go to Dakwish. I will do it myself. I told him not to kill me, I will do the same to him that he did to me." But Tukupar went to Dakwish. When he reached him he said: "I want you to come to my house in

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three days." He moved his arm over his breast and Dakwish could not see him any more. Dakwish asked him: "Will there be many?" He said: "Yes. Some are coming to-day, some to-morrow, some the day after." Dakwish asked: "Will there be a chance to kill people?" "Of course," said Tukupar. "Very well," said Dakwish,

Tukupar went back and invited many people from everywhere. In three days they were all there. Dakwish came. People came from Paiacha, Elsinore. Among them was a large woman. Dakwish said: "I will eat that woman. She is nice and fat." But Tukupar said: "Do not, my cousin. There are more coming." Dakwish said: "There is a boy. I want to eat him to-night." Tukupar said: "No, there are more coming." Dakwish was angry. He went and killed one of the people and pounded him up with a pestle.

Then one of the chiefs said: "I have lost a boy." Tukupar said: "That is not my fault. I told you to kill Dakwish to-night. It surely was Dakwish who did that." Tukupar had told them all to kill Dakwish the first night that he was there. Now all the chiefs told their people to kill Dakwish. They talked how they were to kill him. Then Tukupar stood behind Dakwish, who was sitting with his head bowed. He signed to a man with a heavy war-club of oak (dadabish), and the man hit him on the back of the neck and knocked him down. Then they killed him.

They threw him outside and he turned to rock. He is there still (sic). Two men carried him (sic) to Pakhavkhau, north of Elsinore. There they laid him down, covered him with wood, and burned him. Then one said: "Light the fire while I go to drink." Then the other lit the wood and then he too went to drink. When Dakwish began to burn it thundered. There was a great noise and an explosion. Fire flew about and Dakwish flew home like a star. The men said: "There he is flying! He has gone away!" They were sitting at the spring. Dakwish's liver is now a rock at that place. In this way Dakwish went home.

A. L. Kroeber.