Sacred Texts Native American Iroquois Index Previous Next
Characters
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GÁQGA´ |
Raven |
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SKAGÉDI |
One-half of Anything, |
A BROTHER and sister lived together. The brother never let his sister go out of the house. When he went hunting, he told his dog to stay at home and get whatever the girl wanted.
One day when the brother was away the girl wanted water, and, not seeing the dog, thought, "What harm can it do? I'll go to the spring and get back quickly."
She ran to the spring, stooped down and filled the bucket, but as she straightened up and rested, putting the bucket at the edge of the spring, someone grasped her from behind, lifted her into the air and carried her off.
The dog followed, barking loudly. He made a spring into the air to catch the girl, but he couldn't reach her.
The brother, hearing the dog bark, hurried home and finding his sister gone, said to the dog, "You have caused great trouble."
The dog felt so badly that he bent his head down, curled it under and became stone.
GÁQGA´, the man who stole the girl, took her to an island in the middle of a lake.
Every day GÁQGA´ went away and came back with dry fish that he found on the shore of the lake. Sometimes he
brought pieces of human flesh which he ate himself, sending the girl to get water for him to drink.
one day when the girl went to the edge of the island to get water, a man stood before her, and said, "I have come here to tell you that GÁQGA´ is very hungry and he has made up his mind to kill you to-morrow. He will tell you to bring water and fill the kettle. As soon as this is done he will take up his club to kill you. You must run behind the post that the kettle hangs on. He will strike the post and break his arm, then come to this place as quickly as you can."
The next day GÁQGA´ did as the stranger said he would. When he struck at the girl she dodged, his arm hit the post and broke. She ran to the lake; the stranger was there and had a canoe. They sat in the canoe and the man pushed out on to the lake. This man was SKAGÉDI (One-half of anything). When he stepped into the canoe he divided and one-half sat at each end. They crossed the lake and as they touched land the half of SKAGÉDI at the rear end of the canoe was raised up and thrown across the canoe. It struck the front half and joining it became a whole man. The girl was sitting on the bottom of the canoe.
SKAGÉDI's mother was at the landing. She went to the girl and saying, "My daughter come with me," led her to a house.
The girl was now SKAGÉDI's wife. Every time he went out in his canoe he divided himself and one-half sat at each end of the canoe. As soon as he touched land he became one again.
SKAGÉDI had all his life been traveling around on the lake, liberating persons captured by bad men and wizards.
After a time SKAGÉDI's wife gave birth to twin boys. As soon as they were born, the grandmother threw them into the lake. As they touched the water they began to paddle and quickly came to shore.
She threw them in a second time; in a minute they were back; she threw them a third time, and far out. When they swam to shore, she said, "That will do." They began to run around and play.
The boys grew quickly and after a while said to their
father, "You ought to stay at home and let us go out in the canoe and do your work."
"Very well," said SKAGÉDI.
The boys started and after rowing some distance one said to the other, "See, there is something off there on land that looks as if it were breathing. Let us go ashore and find out what it is."
They landed, and going to the spot, found an old house lying flat on the ground, but inside something was breathing and soon they saw that it was a very old man. They got him out from under the house and one of the boys said, "This is our uncle. We must take him home."
The man was willing to go. As they were leaving the place he pointed to a large stone, and said, "That is my dog," and striking it with a switch he called out, "Get up!" The dog rose, shook, stretched himself and followed the man.
When they reached home, the boys said, "Mother, we have found our uncle." She looked at the man and sure enough he was her brother.
The boys said to their grandmother, "You must marry our uncle."
"Very well," said the woman.
After that they all lived together happily.