Zuni Folktales

they met some people fleeing into the town. Chasing after them was a cooking-pot with earrings of onions.34 It was boiling furiously and belching forth hot wind and steam and spluttering mush in every direction. If ever so little of the mush hit the people they fell over and died.

“He!” cried the Twain;

“Té-kʻya-thla-kʻya
Í-ta-wa-kʻya
Äsh′-she-shu-kwa!

—As if foodstuff were made to make people afraid!” Whereupon they twitched the earrings off the pot and ate them up with all the mush that was in the pot, which they forthwith kicked to pieces vigorously.

Then the people crowded still closer around them, wondering to one another that they could vanquish all enemies by eating them with such impunity, and they begged the Twain to teach them how to do it. So they gathered a great council of the villagers, and when they found that these poor people were only half finished,⁠ ⁠… they cut vents in them (such as were not afraid to let them),⁠ ⁠… and made them eat solid food, by means of which they were hardened and became men of meat then and there, instead of having to get killed after the manner of the fearful, and others of their kind beforetime, in order to ascend to the daylight and take their places in men born of men.

And for this reason, behold! a newborn child may eat only of wind-stuff until his cord of viewless sustenance has been severed, and then only by sucking milk or soft food first and with much distress.

Behold! And we may now see why, like newborn children are the very aged; childish withal⁠—á-ya-vwi;35⁠—not only toothless, too, but also sure to die of diarrhoea if they eat ever so little save the soft parts and broths of cooked food. For are not the babes new-come from the Shi-u-na36 world; and are not the aged about to enter the Shi-po-lo-a37 world, where cooked food unconsumed is never heeded by the fully dead?

Thus shortens my story.

The Cock and the Mouse

Note

While on their pilgrimage to the “Ocean of Sunrise” in the summer of 1886, three Zunis⁠—Pálowahtiwa, Waíhusiwa, and Héluta⁠—with Mr. Cushing, were entertaining their assembled friends at Manchester-by-the-Sea with folk tales, those related by the Indians being interpreted by Mr. Cushing as they were uttered. When Mr. Cushing’s turn came for a story he responded by relating the Italian tale of “The Cock and the Mouse” which appears in Thomas Frederick Crane’s Italian Popular Tales. About a year later, at Zuni, but under somewhat similar circumstances, Waíhusiwa’s time came to entertain the gathering, and great was Mr. Cushing’s surprise when he presented a Zuni version of the Italian tale. Mr. Cushing translated the story as literally as possible, and it is here reproduced, together with Mr. Crane’s translation from the Italian, in order that the reader may not only see what transformation the original underwent in such a brief period, and how well it has been adapted to Zuni environment and mode of thought, but also to give a glimpse of the Indian method of folktale making.

—⁠Editor.

Italian Version

Once upon a time there were a cock and a mouse. One day the mouse said to the cock: “Friend Cock, shall we go and eat some nuts on yonder tree?” “As you like.” So they both went under the tree and the mouse climbed up at once and began to eat. The poor cock began to fly, and flew and flew, but could not come where the mouse was. When it saw that there was no hope of getting there, it said: “Friend Mouse, do you know what I want you to do? Throw me a nut.” The mouse went and threw one and hit the cock on the head. The poor cock, with its head all broken and covered with blood, went away to an old woman. “Old aunt, give me some rags to cure my head.” “If you will give me two hairs I will give you the rags.” The cock went away to a dog. “Dog, give me two hairs; the hairs I will give the old woman; the old woman will give me rags to cure my head.” “If you will give me a little bread,” said the dog, “I will give you the hairs.” The cock went away to a baker. “Baker, give me bread; I will give bread to the dog; the dog will give hairs; the hairs I will carry to the old woman; the old woman will give me rags to cure my head.” The baker answered: “I will not give you bread unless you give me some wood.” The cock went away to the forest. “Forest, give me some wood; the wood I will carry to the baker; the baker will give me some bread; the bread I will give to the dog; the dog will give me hairs; the hairs I will carry to the old woman; the old woman will give me rags to cure my head.” The forest answered: “If you will bring me a little water, I will give you some wood.” The cock went away to a fountain. “Fountain, give me water; water I will carry to the forest; forest will give wood; wood I will carry to the baker; baker will give bread; bread I will give dog; dog will give hairs; hairs I will give old woman; old woman will give rags to cure my head.” The fountain gave him water; the water he carried to the forest; the forest gave him wood; the wood he carried to the baker; the baker gave him bread; the bread he gave to the dog; the dog gave him the hairs; the hairs he carried to the old woman; the old woman gave him the rags; and the cock cured his head.

Zuni Version

Thus it was