The Son of the Sun

THE SON OF THE SUN ⁶

Long ago, etc.--Somewhere dwelt Yellow Woman and a youth. Then Yellow Woman was grinding blue corn. She put the meal in a basket. Then Yellow Woman became tired. She had been grinding. She lay down where the sun was shining. She was lying down and then the Sun made her pregnant. Yellow Woman was with child. Then Yellow Woman spoke thus, "Oh my!" said she, "Who is the, one who made me pregnant?" said Yellow Woman. Then the Sun said to her, "Indeed, I," said the Sun. "When you give birth you will give birth to a boy," said the Sun to her. "He is my child," said the Sun. "When my child grows up he will ask you 'Who is my father?' Thus my child will say. Then you will tell him,' Yes, the Sun is your father,' you will say to him when he asks you," said the Sun to her. "Then you will tell him, 'There somewhere in the middle east is the Sun's house. Your father is the Sun,' you will say to him," said to her the Sun. "Then, when my child grows up he will go and look for me," said the Sun. Then Yellow Woman said, "Enough," said she. "When my child grows up I will tell him," said Yellow Woman. "So it is your child, Sun Youth, Father," said Yellow Woman. Then Yellow Woman gave birth. She gave birth to a boy.

The baby grew up quickly. He asked her, "Mother! who is my father?" said the little boy. "Oh! the Sun is your father," said she to her child. "The Sun is your father," said his mother. "Indeed, then I will go there," said he. "I want to know my father," said the little boy. Then his mother said to him thus, "Wait, my child until you may grow up a little. Then you will go," said his mother to him. "Oh my! your father's house is far off," said his mother to him. Then her little child spoke thus, "Indeed, just there I will go. Wherever my father dwells, there will I go, I just want to know who my father is," said the little. boy. Then his mother spoke thus, "Well, tomorrow you may go," thus said his mother to him. "It does not please me now," said his mother. "You are still too small," said she to him, "but anyway you will go," said his mother to him. "Very well, then," said the, little one. "Just now I shall see my father," said he. "I shall just know my father," said he. Then, "Oh," said his mother, "it is very far," said his mother. "In the middle east is where Sun Youth dwells," said his mother, "Oh, my

p. 27

child, therefore it does not please me. You are still too small," said his mother to him. Then the boy went. The Sun knew already that his child was looking for him. Then the Sun spoke thus, "There my son is coming, the poor one," said the Sun. "How is this?" said the Sun. Then from some place he went up in the east. There somewhere dwelt Spider Old Woman. The boy arrived there. Spider Old Woman knew already that the Sun's child was coming. Then Spider Old Woman spoke thus, "Are you here, grandson?" said Spider Old Woman. "Do you come to see your father, Sun Youth?" said Spider Old Woman to him. "Yes," said he, "I am going to see him. I do not know him, who is my father," said the boy, the son of the Sun. Then Spider Old Woman spoke thus, "Poor grandson, the house of your father is very far away," said she to him. "Oh my! the Sun is your father," said Spider Old Woman to him. Let me take you there!" said Spider Old Woman to him. "When I have taken you there I will tell you where your father dwells," said she to him. "We both of us will go, grandson!" said Spider Old Woman. "Indeed, let us both go," said the little one. Then Spider Old Woman gave him something; that thing was a stick.

Spider Old Woman chewed it. Then she blew the medicine all over him. Spider Old Woman treated him with the medicine which she had. Then Spider Old Woman also blew it on herself. Then Spider Old Woman spoke thus, "Grandson, now we two shall turn into eagles," said Spider Old Woman. Then they became eagles. Spider Old Woman had put medicine on both. She had great supernatural power. Then as eagles they went thither and flew up eastward. When they had become eagles she spoke thus to her grandson, "Just now, my grandchild, you will fly behind me. Wherever I fly, there you will fly behind," said his grandmother to him. "When we two arrive at the house of your father Sun Youth, I will tell you, grandson," said she to him. Then they went flying up thither. Finally the eagles arrived somewhere on the east side where the Sun comes up. They arrived there and Spider Old Woman spoke thus, "Now grandson, we have arrived at your father's house," said she. "Your father Sun Youth dwells here," said Spider Old Woman. "Go on! Enter this room where the shamans are at work," said Spider Old Woman. "Your father is not there," said she. "Your father Sun Youth went above westward," said Spider Old Woman to him. "Go and enter when it is evening. Then your father will arrive," said she to him. "Your father will find you here," said Spider Old Woman. "Now go on! I will go to my house," said Spider Old Woman. Then Spider Old Woman went. Again Old Spider Woman took out medicine wood. Again she blew some on her own body. Then she spoke thus, "Now I will turn into an eagle," said [paragraph continues]

p. 28

Old Spider Woman. Then she became an eagle. Old Spider Woman went away. The little boy, the son of the Sun, remained where the Sun dwelt. Then the boy entered the room. Inside the shamans were acting. The shamans were singing much. The shamans already knew that the son of the Sun was going to arrive. The shamans knew already the son of the Sun. Then, "How are things, mothers?" said he. "Is this my father's house?" said the little boy. Then the eldest shaman said to him thus, "Yes, this is the house of your father Sun Youth," said the eldest shaman. The flint shamans were those inside. Now the shamans were always at work. Then, "Sit down!" said the eldest shaman to him. Medicine was in a liquid in a bowl. Then he spoke to him thus, "Your father is not here," said the eldest flint shaman to him. "At sunset your father Sun Youth will arrive," said the eldest flint shaman to him. Then they gave him medicine, to drink. "Sit down, little boy! Here is your father's house," said they to him. Then the little boy spoke thus, "I am looking for my father," said he. "Mother told me that the Sun was my father," said the little, boy. "Indeed, and here is your father's house," said the eldest flint shaman. "Your father, the sun, does not stay here a long time. He always walks thither above towards the west," said the flint shaman, "and in the evening your father will arrive here," said he to him. Then the boy was waiting there for his father.

The Sun set in the west, and when the Sun arrived at his house, somewhere in the middle east, his child was there. Soon the Sun spoke thus, "My poor son, did you arrive?" said the Sun. Thus he spoke to his child. Then at once the boy stood up and ran to his father to greet him. "How are things, father?" said the little boy. "I came here to look for you, here where you dwell on high," said the little one. "Mother told me that the Sun is my father," said the little boy, "and you are Sun Youth," said his son to him. Then the Sun came in and the little one spoke thus, "Father, where do you go?" said he to him. "Indeed, I am walking up above towards the west," said the Sun. "Here in the east are the shamans inside. Now, the shamans are always working in the house. The shamans are singing." That night the Sun spoke thus, "Tomorrow, I shall go again," said he. "I never stay here a long time," said the Sun. Then his son spoke thus, "Father, I will go," said he. "I want to know whither you walk, father," said he. Then the Sun said, "Oh my! woe! Poor child, it is too terrible," said the Sun. Then his son spoke thus, "Nevertheless, father, I shall go," said he. "Indeed, then you shall go," said he to his son. "To-morrow morning when you come up," said he to him, he was telling his child, "you will wait for a while when you go. Then

p. 29

you will stop a little while," said he to him. "When anyone should give you some food, you will see that town," said he to him. "When anyone sacrifices sacred meal or pollen you will keep a little of every kind of food tied up. Whoever asks anything of you, all (his sacrifice) you will gather in and you will listen there to the people in the towns, whoever may agree to sacrifice sacred meal and pollen. From all the people, whosoever names himself and whoever names his clan (saying), I am of that clan, he says, from all these you will carefully gather (what they give you). When you arrive in the west and when you will go down west into the water, the water snakes will jump out," said he. "Do not be afraid," said he. "Oh my! the water snakes are very terrible, my child," said he to him. "Be a man, make an effort," said he to him. He told his son. Then in the morning the Sun's son went. "Well, my child, be a man. Make an effort. You will go up above westward," said he to him. Then he went. The Sun's son came out in the west and he went along. He was dressed in the whole dress, he had on a dancer's belt. He had put on an apron, and also a belt was fastened around him. A blue fox skin was hanging behind and cotton strings were put around his wrists. Also pure turquoise and white beads were put around his neck. Eagle and parrot feathers were tied to the back of his hair. He had on buckskin shoes and skunk skin was put around his ankles, and cotton strings were put around the calves of his legs and long shells were put on the bandolier. Ochre was put on his face on each side. He was all dressed up and then the Sun's son went. He came out upward. Into the knot of his hair were stuck long parrot feathers. He was entirely dressed up. Then he went above westward.

The Sun spoke thus, "My son, I shall watch you from here," said he to his son. Then he went. "Be a man, my son, make an effort," said he to his son. Then he went. In the east he came out. He went up a little distance. Then he saw the towns. All the people and the men and women he saw. Then after a while he stopped. He saw the people. They sacrificed to him sacred meal and pollen. They wished the Sun to give them something. They were asking for gifts and (each one called out) how he was named and what his clan was and announced what they were asking of the Sun. They gave the Sun sacred meal and pollen to cat. Then the Sun put the sacred meal and pollen into bundles and the Sun went on from there up westward. Somewhere in the west the sun went down. Now he arrived below there. It was evening. When he was going into the water, the water snakes jumped at him. Then the Sun was scared. Not daring to go in there, he walked about above. Then his father saw him from where his father was watching him. [paragraph continues]

p. 30

He spoke thus, "Woe! my son! he is walking there above," said he. "Let me go!" said he. He just put on his entire dress and he went. The Sun, his father, went quickly and soon he arrived there in the west. Then he arrived. Then he said to his son, thus, "Woe! my son! it seems you do not dare (to go in). You are afraid of the water snakes," said he to his son. Then he took hold of his son and both he and his son went down. In the river he put him into the water where the sun always went down. Then the two arrived again in the east. The Sun walked along that way underneath. He and his son both arrived there at his house in which the shamans were, the flint shamans. Then to the eldest flint shaman they gave the sacred meal and the pollen which the people had sacrificed. He told them, "Oh, of that clan are the woman and the youth who have made requests; all the people who made requests have given me for this reason sacred meal and pollen to eat," said he. "At noon I ate what they gave me to eat, the sacred meal and the pollen," said the Sun, "all the clans," said he. "Therefore (I gave you)," said he, "this sacred meal and the pollen." Then he gave it to the eldest flint shaman. He untied all the bundles with the sacred meal and he gave the sacred meal and the pollen to them. He gave it to each shaman. And then again the shamans sacrificed it and also asked for life for the sake of the people. Now, when the Sun came out in the east all the shamans sacrificed sacred meal and pollen. Then the Sun spoke thus, "To-morrow, my child, I myself shall go again," said the Sun. He told his child. "You will stay here," said he to his child. Then his child spoke thus, "Father, let us two go together," said he. Then his father spoke thus, "It is enough, my child. I shall go alone," said he. "You are afraid of the water snakes," said he to him. "I shall go," said his father, the Sun. Then early he dressed. His father did not do so to him (?) and with ochre he painted his face. That is the end.

He told his son to go and hunt deer. He was to take a deer to his mother. "When you have killed anything, you shall take the deer to your mother," said his father to him. He told him to go hunting deer. Then his son went hunting and he killed a deer. He skinned the deer and prepared buckskin. He was going to take the buckskin to his mother. His mother was to have moccasins of buckskin of the deer her son had killed. The boy took the buckskin to his mother. The Sun's son had great supernatural power. Then he went to his mother's house, and he arrived where his mother lived. Then he shouted "Inside, mother!" said he. "Here below a deer!" Then his mother heard it. "Come!" said his mother. He went there and gave the deer to his mother. Her son had arrived. He had brought a whole deer. Then she greeted

p. 31

her son. "Are you here, my son?" said she. "My poor son I did you find your father, the Sun?" said his mother to him. "Yes," said her son. "Father ordered me to hunt deer. I should bring any deer I might kill," said her son. "Therefore I brought this," said he to his mother. "Thanks, my son!" said his mother. "Thanks, poor one, you found your father," said his mother to him. Then his mother laid the deer down in front of the fireplace. She fed it sacred meal. "Thanks, my son! You brought me a deer and buckskin," said his mother. "You will wear these moccasins," said he to her, "I tanned the buckskin of the deer I killed," said her son. "Now I shall go off. I shall dwell with my father," said her son. Then his mother said, "Very well, my son, there where Sun Youth your father is," said she, "there you two will dwell," said she to him. "Your father does not allow you to leave. You will not leave there. You will remain well. Whatever your father orders you to do, that you will do," said his mother to him. "Well, my son," said she to him, "now you will go. Greet your father!" said she to him. Then her son went off. Her son said good-bye.

Footnotes

26:6 Recorded in text by Franz Boas. Informant 7. Notes, p. 211.