The Youth And The Witch

THE YOUTH AND THE WITCH ⁷

Long ago. Ehe.--A youth went hunting deer here in the west. He went to hunt deer. Then night came. He came from the west. At some place there was a cave and it was light inside. The youth saw it. Then he spoke thus, "There," said the youth, "I shall lie, down," said he. He went there to the cave. He arrived at the place where the light was. Then he said, "(You) inside!" "Yes," said (the one inside). Then a Yellow Woman was inside. "Come in, youth!" said she to him. The youth entered. "Sit down!" said Yellow Woman to him. She just took up a skull. She wanted him to eat it down there. "Eat!" said the Yellow Woman to him. Then the youth sat down. He was about to eat. He did not want to eat it. "Oh my! a skull," said he. "Oh my! I should not eat that kind of thing." Then the youth acted as if he were eating, but he was not eating. Oh my! he did not want to eat the skull and the

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brains which the Yellow Woman wanted him to eat. Then he acted thus (pretended to eat). He was not eating. He pretended to do so. "Oh dear," said the youth, "Oh my! She is a witch," said the youth. Then the youth was afraid of the Yellow Woman. He was going to go out. He was going to escape. He thought, "The Yellow Woman is bad, oh my! she is a witch," said the youth, "I never should eat dead men's brains," said the youth. "Oh my! she will give me food!" Then he said thus to the girl, "I want to ease myself," said the youth. Then the Yellow Woman spoke thus, "I think you will escape," said the Yellow Woman. He knew already that the Yellow Woman was a witch. Then he went out. The Yellow Woman spoke thus, "Let me," said the Yellow Woman to the youth, "let me tie him," said the Yellow Woman. Then she tied him. With a belt she tied the youth. He could not get away. Then the youth went outside. The Yellow Woman stayed in the cave. The Yellow Woman held him by the belt. Then the youth eased himself outside. He did not really want to ease himself. He only wanted to run away. He went out. Oh my! He was scared of the Yellow Woman. Oh my! she was a witch. Then the youth sat down. He was tied with the belt. Then he defecated a little. He untied the belt. He tied it to the excrement. Then he said thus to the excrement. He told it, "Please," said he to it, "try hard." Thus he said to the excrement. Then the youth ran away. Northward the youth ran away. There somewhere in the north the shamans were in a kiva. The youth entered. "Are you running away?" "How are things?" said he, "mothers," said he. "It is well," they said. Then the youth spoke thus, "Please," said he, "mothers, hide me! Oh my! Somebody is pursuing me," said the youth. Then he was hidden among the shamans there. After a while the Yellow Woman arrived. The Yellow Woman was pursuing him. Then the youth went out and ran away westward. The Yellow Woman spoke thus, "Did not a youth come in here?" said the Yellow Woman. "No," they said, "nobody has come in here," they said. "Yes, he has," said the girl. "No," they said. "Yes," said the girl. "Search for him," they said. Then the Yellow Woman looked for the youth. Already the youth had run away. Then the Yellow Woman went out searching for the youth. Already the youth had run away westward. Then there somewhere in the west were also shamans. Then the youth went in there also. "How are things?" said he, "mothers," said he. "It is well," they said. Then, "Please," said the youth, "hide me!" said he. Then the shamans hid him inside. Then the youth went out. He ran away. Then the Yellow Woman also arrived outside. She entered the room. "How are things?" said she. "It is well," they said to her. Then, "Did not a youth come in

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here?" said she. "No," they said. "Yes, he has," said she. "No," they said. "Then search for him!" Then she searched for the youth. Already the youth had gone out westward. She did not find him. Already the youth had run away to the south. There somewhere in the south were also other shamans, and the youth entered there also. "How are things?" said he, "mothers," said he. "It is well," said the shamans. "Please," said the youth, "hide me!" said the youth. "Somebody, oh my! is pursuing me," said the youth. Then the shamans hid him among themselves. Already the Yellow Woman had arrived outside. Then the youth went out. He ran away also eastward. Then the Yellow Woman entered inside where the shamans were. "How are things?" said the Yellow Woman. "It is well," they said to her. "Did not a youth come in here?" said the Yellow Woman. "No," they said. "Yes, he has," said she. "His tracks are here," said the Yellow Woman. "Here he went in," said the Yellow Woman. Then the shamans said to her thus, "Search for him!" they said to her. Then she searched for him. She did not find him. Then the Yellow Woman went out again. Already the youth had run away eastward. Then there somewhere in the east were the flint shamans. The youth arrived there. They were in the kiva. Then he shouted. "Come in!" said the flint shamans to him. Then he went in. "Please," said he, "mothers, hide me! Oh my! Somebody is pursuing me," said the youth. Then the shamans said, "Come here!" said the flint shamans. Then there was a spruce tree: They put the youth on top of the spruce tree. Then just below it they had a dish with water and medicine in it. The Yellow Woman arrived outside. She arrived. Then she went into the room where the flint shamans were. Then "How are things?" she said. "It is well," said the flint shamans. "Sit down!" they said to her. "Did not a youth enter here?" said the Yellow Woman. "No," said the leader of the flint shamans. Then the girl spoke thus, "His tracks lead here. I am pursuing him," said the Yellow Woman. Then the leader of the flint shamans spoke thus, "Search for him!" said he to her. Then she searched for him. The Yellow Woman went eastward searching for him. There was the dish with the medicine water in it. The Yellow Woman looked into the water and saw the youth below looking up from the dish in which was the medicine water. Yellow Woman saw him in the water from which the youth was looking up. She saw him and the Yellow Woman jumped into the water in the dish, in which was the liquid. Then the Yellow Woman went into the water and the flint shaman stirred it. He stirred it with flint and killed the Yellow Woman who was a witch. Thus the youth was saved. Far

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away somewhere in the east were the flint shamans, somewhere in the east. Then the youth went out. "Thank you," said he, "mothers. Now I am saved," said the youth. They put him out and from the east came the youth. He arrived here in the town at his house. He was saved. Yellow Woman did not kill him. The flint shamans killed her. They had greater power and killed the Yellow Woman who was a witch.

Footnotes

101:7 Recorded in text by Franz Boas, Informant 7. Notes, p. 233.