Reading Notes: Week 11 British North America A and B

(Image Information: Image by Martin Lopez)

Raven and Moon Woman

Raven was the son of Moon woman. He cried a great deal. When he cried, he said, "Boo-hoo, moon!"

Then his mother said, "He talks about a thing beyond his reach which the supernatural beings own."

So Raven cried again. When moon woman's mind was tired out with his noise she stopped up all the holes in the house. She stopped up the smoke hole, and all the small holes as well. Then she untied the strings of the box. Although they were very strong, she untied them. She did this because the moon was inside the box. She took the moon out and let Raven play with it. She did not give it to him. She only let him play with it to quiet him.

After his mother had gone out, Raven took up the moon in his beak. He turned himself into a raven and flew about the house with it. He made himself small. Before his mother returned, he made himself a child and played with the moon. The Raven again cried when his mother returned.

He cried about the smoke hole for a long time. He tired his mother's mind with his crying, and she opened the smoke hole a little. Raven cried more until she had made it quite large.

Then again, Raven played with the moon, and he cried because he wanted the moon, but his mother didn't want to give to him. He cried more an she gave it back and made the large opening in the smoke hole.

Now it was always dark. Raven didn't like darkness. He repeated is actions.

Immediately he out the moon under his wing. He perched up on top of the house with the moon under his arm and called like a raven.

Then Raven flew to the bank of the Nass River, where they were taking olachen. And it was dark. Raven called, "If you will bring your spruce needles, I will make it light for you."

The fishermen replied, "One who always talks is talking about something which the supernatural beings own and which is beyond his reach."

Thus they made him angry, and he let them see a little of the moon. It became light. Then they all went to him and gave him a great olachen.

Raven again put the moon under his arm and flew up. He sat on the top of a mountain. He took the moon out and threw it down so it broke. He took half of it and three it up into the sky. He said, "You shall be the moon and shall give light in the middle of the night. He then threw the other half upward and said, :You shall shine in the middle if the day."

He threw upward the small fragments and said they shall be the stars.

Big Turtle

An old man lived with his nephew, and every day the nephew went somewhere

And every day, the uncle asked where he had gone? What did he see?

One day the nephew said, "I have pulled off Eagle's feather."

And in truth he had Eagle's tail feather. His uncle at once exclaimed, "Danger! We are in danger! Then he hung the eagle feather in the smoke hole of his house.

Soon Eagle came and stood for a while over the smoke hole. 

The uncle exclaimed, "Danger! We are in danger! We must have a council at once!"

They all came at once. The old man stood at the door of his house. Some of the animals be would not allow to enter. He said to Deer, to Bear, an to Wolf, "I do not want you at this council. You can run too fast."

Only the animals that could not run fast were allowed to form a council. Turtle came, and Otter and Skunk and Porcupine and others. The they held their council. Each said what he would do in case of danger. Porcupine said, "I will shoot my quills through them when they come near me." They all said things like that.

Then the people from the council all ran away to where a big tree stood for fear Eagle would come. For safety they all climbed the tree. Then Eagle came and stood over the smoke hole for the second time, but the feather was not there. Turtle had carried it away.

Now the tree that all the people had climbed was very rotten. A strong wind came and blew it down, so the animal people were scattered all about.

Porcupin had been covered with bits of rotten wood. Therefore Porcupine climbed up on Turtle's back to hide him, and they went away. Turtle carried the Eagle's feather.

Now all along the way Porcupine kept scattering ashes on Turtle's trail so Eagle would not see him. But Eagle followed the trail of ashes.

Then, he got to the bank of the river, Eagle's friends caught Turtle. They said, "WE will throw Turtle into the fire."

Turtle pretended to enjoy it very much. Then they struck him, but they hit Turtle on his shell. They could not see that he minded it.

Then someone said, "Let us drown Turtle."

Turtle began to cry, "Oh, no! I am afraid of the water!"

The they dragge him toward the water. Turtle pushed back he pushed back, and he cried. That is why someone said, "Let us drop him to the bottom of the water. That is the place for him."

So it was done. They threw him in. They could see Turtle lying on his back on the bottom of the water. Then they left him.

At once Turtle turned over and swam to a log near the opposite shore. Turtle climbed on that log and waved Eagle's feather high in the air. He shouted, "Ki-he." Truly, that is the cry of one who has overpowered his enemy.

Now Eagle's friends heard it. They gathered on the shore. They said, "Who will bring back Eagle's feather?" They held a council.

One said "No, I cannot go there."

Another said, "No, I would be drowned if I went there."

At last Otter said, "I will try it." So  he did.

Now Turtle sat on that log waving the feather. Otter darted across the river and reached that log where Turtle was sitting. Turtle dripped off the back side into the water.

soon otter befan to heal, "Oh- oh! He is hurting me so badly!"

Turtle was pinching him all over.

Otter yelled out.

Therefore Turtle kept that feather of Eagle's. Turtle cannot be overpowered by anyone- so the Wyandots say.

Bibliography: 

Raven and Moon Woman by Katharine Berry Judson (1917).

Big Turtle by Katharine Berry Judson (1911).