The Devil Woman

THE DEVIL WOMAN ¹

Two sisters lived in Tiputse close by the river. They were Oheania and Okuronita ("Mexican names"). The younger sister married first, and the elder lived with her sister and her husband. A child was born to Okuronita, and her sister and husband took turns watching by her all the time. One day her husband went out and left her with her sister. When he was going he said to her sister, "Do not leave your sister. Her child is still new-born." When it was almost dinner time the sister said, "We have no water. I will hurry and get some. I will come right back." When she got to the river a fish said to her, "Come and see the stomach you lost when you were washing it." She ran along after it, but the fish was fooling her. She stayed away a long time. She went back where she had left her water jar. "It's nothing," she said, "I can't get it." She went back to her sister.

While she was gone a Devil woman came to her sister's bed. "Poor thing, poor thing, did they leave you alone?" she said to her. "Come over here, let me louse you." The girl put her head down. The Devil woman took a needle and stuck it into her head. Immediately she turned into a dove and flew away. The Devil woman nursed the baby.

The sister returned. The Devil woman said to her, "Don't leave the window open. Shut the door. I want it dark. Something happened to my eyes so I want the light shut out. My eyes hurt." Her husband came home. He said to her sister, "How are they to-day?" "They're all right." The Devil woman asked for something good to eat. "What's the matter, wife?" her husband asked. "Nothing's the matter. My eyes hurt, the light bothers me." Her husband went out, and the sister said, "I was sitting right by her all day."

p. 178

Next morning when her sister went out-doors, a dove came close and called, "Is Okuronita's baby well?" Next morning the husband went out-doors. A dove came up close to him and called, "Is Okuronita's baby well?" The husband went indoors and said. to the sister, "A dove came to me this morning and asked about the baby. To-morrow I shall climb the tree and see who it is that calls." Next morning he climbed up the tree and caught the dove. It was a nice white dove. "Poor thing," said the elder sister, "we will take her in so that my sister can see the pretty dove." The false woman inside heard. She called out, "Don't open the door. Don't open the door. The light hurts my eyes." The sister held the dove and rubbed its head, and said, "Poor thing, poor thing." A needle stuck in her hand. She said, "This dove has something in her head." She pulled it out. As soon as she had pulled it out the dove was changed into Okuronita. Her sister said, "We thought it was you inside. Who is that we are feeding good things to?" Okuronita was very thin for she had had no food." That time you went out after water, this Devil woman came into the room and asked to look over my head. She stuck me with the needle, and I was changed into a dove. I flew out into a tree and thought about my baby." Her husband said, "But who is the person in your bed? Maybe it is a devil." He went in and caught the Devil woman by the neck and choked her. "We didn't know you were a devil and we were giving you good things to eat," he exclaimed. He killed her right there.

Footnotes

177:1 Informant 1. Devil, troyatam; witch, ganadier. Notes, p. 246.