Part 14 (1/2)

I confess that I am not very confident of my rendering of those of the opening sentences of Ee-ee-toy's speech between ”And he had made an earth” and the statement ”And they shot him,” etc. My Indians seemed to get hopelessly tangled over archaic words and other impediments here and not at all sure of what they told me. The rest I think is correct.

Here we came to the mystic colors of the four quarters, North, South, East and West and of the zenith, the Above, which the Pimas reckoned evidently as a cardinal point. If their mystic power was derived from the cardinal points, might not their inclusion of the zenith make five also sometimes a mystic number? I think that it perhaps was.

Brinton says that among the Mayas of Yucatan, East is Red, West is Black, North is White and South is Yellow.

The Speaker: It was customary in the villages of the Awawtam for some individual, perhaps a chief, or a mahkai, or some representative of these, to mount on a kee, or other high place, and in a loud voice shout news, orders, advice, or other important matters to the people. This was the Speaker, a sort of town crier.

To step on the rus.h.i.+ng young maid who gathered the cactus fruit was a blow at the enemy's subsistence.

It seems to have been a custom among the mahkais to have pet animals to a.s.sist them in their magic.

A circle of bushes, stood up in the earth, forming a screen for shelter or privacy, was called an onum. One or more may be found near almost any Pima hut.

To work witchcraft on a foe, so that he be left weaponless and helpless, and off his guard against attack, seems to have been the favorite dream of whoso went to war. Treachery was idolized. There was no notion of a fair fight.

Stories of mythical beings who, tho repeatedly killed, persist in coming to life again, are common among many Indian tribes.

STORIES OF THE THIRD NIGHT

THE STORY OF EE-EE-TOY'S ARMY

And after Ee-ee-toy was thru speaking Juhwerta Mahkai addressed him, and promised him his help, and that he would lead out to earth again his people, who had sunk down before the flood, that these might fight against the people whom Ee-ee-toy had made and who now had turned against him.

So when his people heard this they gathered together all their property that they could carry, to take to earth with them.

And Juhwerta Mahkai said to Ee-ee-toy: ”You go ahead of the people and I will follow.”

And they went out in bands.

The first band was called the Mah-mahk-Gum. These were led by Ee-ee-toy, and their color was red.

The second band was called Ah-pah-pah Gum. And their colors were white and yellow.

The third band was called Vah-vah Gum. And their color was red.

The fourth band was called Ah-pah-kee Gum. And their colors were white and yellow.

The fifth band was called Aw-glee Gum. And their color was red.

And the sixth band was called Ah-pel-ee Gum. And their colors were white and yellow.

And these bands were so called because it was by these names they called their fathers.

As they were going to start they sent the Yellow Gopher ahead to open a way for them to this earth.