Wanderings, Part XV

WANDERINGS, PART XV

p. 77

In the meantime the Twins had made the katsina angry. They called a meeting of the katsina from all directions to meet at North Mountain to discuss what to do about the Twins who had been so rude and who had so much power against them. The officers of each of the four directions (the rain makers) were at the meeting. They had been holding this council many days and were tired. The Twins came in at this time and found the katsina asleep. Shakak on the north side had there the staff with which he made snow. This they stole. On the west Morityema had the staff with which he made hail. This they stole. On the south side Maiyochina had the staff with which he made lightning and the balls with which thunder is made. They stole them. in the east Shruisthia had the staff with which he made frost. They took it, too.

In the meantime the people had set up the missing altar of the Fire society. Fire chaianyi spoke to the honani as though it were Iatiku. "You have promised us a happy life, but we are in need of water. See if you can give us all the water that you have." The chaianyi made a mistake there. The people did not know why they asked for so much water.

After the Twins stole these staves they said to the katsina, "Go on sleeping. We have everything with which you work and we can use them as well as you. We will do so. We are going to take them and plant them in the ground and we challenge you to dig them up. If you can do that, we will believe in you." This was also a mistake on the part of the Twins. They had made the katsina angry.

On their way back the Twins buried the staves but did not bury them deeply. The katsina awoke and heard all they had said, but they could do nothing as the Twins had run off. So the katsina had another meeting. They were at a loss as to how to get the best of the Twins. But they thought of bringing to life Tsits shuwi (water snake), so named because it travels like a stream of water. They told it to chase the Twins and devour them. The katsina said also, "Let us go! We are going to take our staves away from the Twins."

The Twins did not get far from where they had buried the staves before a large cloud appeared that was followed by a cloudburst. Lightning tried to strike them, but they shielded themselves with the buckskin shirts their father had given them. The flints ⁷² stuck in the buckskin and the Twins jerked them on through and breathed power from them, saying, "Thank you! With this I will be more manly." They traveled back toward the village and all the way it was raining. When they reached the village they found the lake had overflowed and driven out the people. Many people had been struck

p. 78

by lightning and killed. When they returned, they stretched their buckskins so as to shield all the people, so no more were struck. So the spirits who rule in the four directions said, "We give up. I guess we cannot kill them." But they let the snake follow their instructions.

It continued to rain. The people were completely driven from their homes and were able to take with them only the altars and the things they needed most. The people moved on south to a high mountain, All the chaianyi worked, 73 and Country Chief and Antelope Man prayed for it to stop raining. But no one listened to them There were many animals driven to this mountain and many different peoples (maybe the people who had separated at kashkach, White House), Some spoke different languages, others spoke similarly. All were shielded under the buckskin. The world began to fill with water and the dashing waves almost swept them from the mountain. So the Twins, seeing the large waves, said, "That must be Water Snake, He is coming to kill us." They had never used the four arrows their father had given them and they said, "Perhaps this is where we are to use these arrows." So they watched carefully until they saw the biggest wave coming up. They said, "This is where his heart is." Each shot an arrow into it. After they had done this the waves came slower and became a huge snake which wrapped itself around the mountain where the Twins killed it, using up the rest of the arrows, each shooting four times. So everything became calm and there was no more rain. The water started to recede, but very slowly. It is said that formerly the mountains were beautifully smooth and rounded. But this flood and the receding waters cut canyons and gullies and made it rough.

It is not known how long they camped on this mountain, but they always had food, and the animals that had been saved were increasing, When things began to get dry, they all separated again, not being able to understand each other.

Footnotes

77:72 Flint is a "form of lightning," according to Keresan belief; one can strike lightning sparks from flint, therefore it contains lighting. The association of flint with lightning and thunder is, of course, a widespread idea not only in the Now World but in the Old World also.