The Turquoise Cave

p. 254

THE TURQUOISE CAVE ¹

There in the southeast at Yah’ats' somewhere below, the people are inside. In the middle stands up a pure turquoise. The post of turquoise standing in the middle is habitually being hewed by those who are inside, who are in Yah’ats'. Men and girls were inside together.

There was one youth who presented turquoise to a Yellow Woman. He gave turquoise to win her love. Then it happened thus from above to all those who were inside, all the people. Oh my! the poor ones were shut in somewhere below. They shouted. Then the cacique spoke thus, "Oh my! said he, "probably you have done mischief, boys," said the chief. Here we are all below, shut up. Now everything came down," said the chief. "Maybe somebody gave turquoise to win love," said the chief. "For this reason I told you it is not good to give turquoise to win love," said the chief. Then he called Ma*'s’ewa and O'yoyewa. Then the chief spoke thus, "Ma*'s’ewa and O'yoyewa, now we have all been shut up inside," said the chief. "Some one probably gave turquoise to win love," said he. He told Ma*'s’ewa; he told both of them. Then Ma*'s’ewa spoke thus. Ma*'s’ewa and O'yoyewa questioned all the men and boys who were inside, "Now this here trapped all of us," said Ma*'s’ewa. Then both asked all the boys, "Someone gave turquoise to win love, therefore this happened below here to our house," said Ma*'s’ewa. Then that one boy spoke thus, "Indeed Ma*'s’ewa and O'yoyewa, fathers, chiefs," said he, "I beg your pardon, Ma*'s’ewa and O'yoyewa," said he, "I gave turquoise to that Yellow Woman," said he. "Now it has trapped all of us here," said he. "I did something that was not good," said that boy. Then Ma*'s’ewa spoke thus, "Oh wonder! oh my!" said Ma*'s’ewa, "for that reason you told them well that nobody should give turquoise to win love. It is not good. Now to-day the kopishtaya trapped us below here," said Ma*'s’ewa. "We shall never get out. We shall remain inside," said he. "We all shall die in here of hunger," said Ma*'s’ewa. Then Ma*'s’ewa told the chief, "Indeed, this boy gave turquoise to win love. Therefore we are now all trapped here below," said Ma*'s’ewa. He told the chief. Then the chief spoke thus, "Oh wonder! dear me, my children," said he. "Now you have done mischief," said the chief. "Now the kopishtaya have trapped us here inside, said the chief. "We shall never go out," said the chief. "We shall die here all together of hunger," said he. "Therefore I told you well, my children, it is not good that anyone should give this turquoise to win love," said the chief. "It is not allowed to Yellow Woman. Buckskin is allowed to Yellow Woman,"

p. 255

said the chief. "Thus, now we shall never go out," said the chief. "Below here we all together shall die of hunger and thirst," said the chief. "Now all the kopishtaya have trapped us," said he, "the kopishtaya, those who are very supernatural," said the chief. "These kopishtaya who give us life," said the chief. They all were trapped below. Then they all did thus down below. Down below they shouted. "Oh my! the poor people below who are inside. When anyone makes moccasins for them," said he, "when skin for shoes is given then shall we give turquoise," they said, "somewhere down below, for if anyone asks us for anything we shall give it to them," said those below. Then, oh my! the poor ones, all the people died down below. They all were trapped. All did thus down below. The kopishtaya trapped all of them.

Footnotes

254:1 Recorded in text by Franz Boas. See p. 196. Notes, p. 236.