| | 1 | Author: | Russell, Frank | Requires cookie* | | | Title: | Myths of the Jicarilla Apache  | | | | Published: | 2000 | | | | Subjects: | University of Virginia Library, Text collection | UVA-LIB-Text | | | | Description: | In the under-world, Un-gó-ya-yen-ni, there was no sun, moon, or light of
any kind, except that emanating from large eagle feathers which the people carried about with them. This method of lighting proved unsatisfactory, and the head men of the tribe gathered in council to devise some plan for
lighting the world more brightly, One of the chiefs suggested that they make a sun and a moon. A great disk of yellow
paint was made upon the ground, and then placed in the sky. Although this miniature creation was too small to give much
light, it was allowed to make one circuit of the heavens ere it was taken down and made larger. Four times the sun set and
rose, and four times it was enlarged, before it was "as large as the earth and gave plenty of light." In the under-world
dwelt a wizard and a witch, who were much incensed at man's presumption and made such attempts to destroy the new
luminaries that both the sun and the moon fled from the lower world, leaving it again in darkness, and made their escape
to this earth, where they have never been molested, so that, until the present time, they continue to shine by night and by
day. The loss of the sun and moon brought the people together, that they might take council concerning the means of
restoring the lost light. Long they danced and sang, and made medicine. At length it was decided that they should go in
search of the sun. The Indian medicine-men caused four mountains to spring up, which grew by night with great noise,
and rested by day. The mountains increased in size until the fourth night, when they nearly reached the sky. Four boys
were sent to seek the cause of the failure of the mountains to reach the opening in the sky, ha-ná-za-ä,
through which the sun and moon had disappeared. The boys followed the tracks of two girls who had caused the
mountains to stop growing, until they reached some burrows in the side of the mountain, where all trace of the two
females disappeared. When their story was told to the people, the medicine-men said, "You who have injured us shall be
transformed into rabbits, that you may be of some use to mankind ; your bodies shall be eaten," and the rabbit has been
used for food by the human race down to the present day. | | | Similar Items: | Find |
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