Kotharian Lightning

From the folklore of the Alsea

(Note: Shinny is a primitive form of hockey)

Once there lived an old woman. Her children were five. All were boys, and only one was a girl. They kept on growing, and when they attained adolescence they told their mother, “We are going to travel all over the world.” – “What are you going to do?” asked the old woman. “Oh, we will do all sorts of things.” – “I think,” said the old woman, “that you will not be able to do anything when you go. What do you imagine you can do?” And the boys said, “Oh, we can play shinny; we can also play the guessing game, and, moreover, we can dance a great deal.” Finally the old woman said, “Very well, you may go. But you shall take along your younger sister.” To this, verily, the boys agreed quickly. Thereupon the old woman spoke to her daughter, “Thou wilt accompany thy elder brothers. Thou wilt watch over them carefully, so that no one shall harm them anywhere. Here, take this stick along. You will use it as a powerful magic.” Thus the old woman repeatedly told her daughter.

Finally they started out. Soon they came to a river, and were thus spoken to by the inhabitants, “Do you want to play shinny?” – “Certainly,” the travellers answered. “If you like it, we will begin to play shinny at once.” To this, indeed, all agreed quickly. So then the people began to be mutually, and the travellers placed their sister as their stake. Now all were playing shinny. The brothers were staking their sister. They were not playing very long when the brothers began to win point after point. Finally the shinny game was stopped. The next day they started out again. Before departing they left behind them the women whom they had won. The women became pregnant as soon as the travellers left them.

Then they came to another river. Again the same thing happened; they began to play shinny once more. And as before they bet their sister again, putting her up as their stake. This time the shinny game lasted a little longer, and at night, after they stopped playing, they began to dance again. During the dance their sister was constantly standing behind them at a distance. When the night was almost gone, the girl suddenly began to suspect something. So she said to her brothers, “I am afraid we will meet with some foul play.” Thus she kept on telling her brothers. Then they stopped dancing. The next morning they did the same thing. As before, they left the women they had won saying, “We will stop for them on our homeward journey.” Then they started out again.

Once more they came to a river. People were living her in greater numbers. “Where are young going” Thus they were asked. “Oh, we are challenging people to shinny playing.” – “Very well,” they were told, “we will play a game of shinny.” So then all the people assembled on the bank of the river, where the shinny game was to be played, and began to bet with one another. Dentalia shells were bet mostly at first. But the travellers again put up their sister as their bet, whereupon similar bets were made by the people from the other side of the river. And after everything had been agreed to their began to play shinny. For a long time the game stood at a tie. At last the brothers succeeded in winning enough points to give them the game. Then all stopped playing; and after all were through eating, they began to dance, at night. They did not dance very long when again their sister began to suspect something. So she spoke to her brothers about it, and they stopped dancing. Next morning they were again ready to depart. “We are going to leave our winnings here,” they said. “All right,” the people replied. “On our way back we will stop for them.” Finally they started out again.

They were not traveling very long when they came to another river. They were ferried across. “Where are you going?” Thus they were asked after they arrived on the other side. “Oh, we are challenging people.” – “What kind of games do you like most?” – “Oh, any kind.” – “All right, let us begin to play shinny.” Then they agreed to it at once, and the people began to bet one another. Again the travellers offered to put up their sister as their stake. Then everybody took part in the shinny game. The game was a tie for a long time, and the brothers hardly won enough points. It was almost night when they at last began to win consistently. Then everybody stopped, and when night came they began to dance again. While they were dancing the house seemed to emit a metal-like sound. The night was almost gone when the sister of the travellers began to realize the danger. So she told them. “I came near not watching over you.” So they stopped dancing now. When they came outside, the walls of the house seemed to have been made of ice only. In the morning they did the same thing as before; they left once more their winnings, namely the women.

Then they started out again. They did not travel very long and came again to a village. Once more they were ferried across. “Hello, are you the people who, ‘tis said, are coming to different place beating the people at various games?” – “Yes, it is we.” – “Very well, we will play you on this day.” – “All right! Let us play shinny.” Then all the people of the village assembled on the bank of the river where the shinny game was to take place. And all began to place their bets. The boys did the same thing as before: they bet their sister. Then the game was started. It stood a tie for a long time. The sun was gradually setting, but the game remained a tie. It was almost night, when the boys at last succeeded in winning enough points, whereupon everybody stopped playing. “We should like to see you dance to-night.” – “Very well, we will dance.” Then when night came they began to dance.

The boys paid little attention to what was going on around them. Toward dawn those who had been looking on disappeared suddenly. The girl began to look around everywhere. The house had simply turned into a rock! So she looked upward and beheld a tiny hole. Then she fastened quickly her cane to the ceiling (where the hole was), followed her cane quickly and made her escape through that passage. She did not know what to do for her brothers. Then she went around the house several times. It was made of rock only. Nowhere was there even a tiny opening in the stone. She could not do anything. So she started home. She was ferried across the river. When she arrived at the other side, she started on her homeward journey. Pretty soon she began to cry. Every time she came to a place, where her brothers had stopped before, she would begin to cry. Whenever she came to a village, she would be asked “Where are thy brothers?” – “Alas! We were tricked.” Then she would again be ferried across. And as she continued her homeward journey she was constantly laughed at. She was always asked the same questions whenever she stopped at a place. Finally, on the fifth day, she arrived home. “Well?” said the old woman, where are thy brothers?” – “Alas! The house suddenly closed on them. The house turned into a rock. I almost did not come out again myself.” – “I told thee constantly to watch over thy brothers. That is why I sent thee along.” – “Yes, but I could not do anything alone, I was overpowered.”

Then the old woman got ready to go. So they two started out now. At first nothing was said to them two. But as they two kept on going the old woman was constantly laughed at. However, she did not seem to mind it. On the fifth day they two finally arrived there. Then the old woman began to try her own magic several times. She would touch the ground gently with her stick, and the ground would at once split in two. “Look!” exclaimed the youngest of her boys’ captors, “what on earth is the old woman doing?” Then she gradually increased the speed of her motions and arrived straight at the place where the rock had closed on her children. She walked around the house several times and sang. Then she put her stick quickly to the southern wall; but the house did not move even a little. Again she put her stick on the northern wall; still it did not move even a little. “Look, the old woman is indeed getting angry,” said the youngest of her boys’ captors. Then again she applied her magic cane to the house. It did not shake a little even. Then the old woman exclaimed impatiently, “What manner of people are those who brought harm upon my children?” Then she began to dance, after which she applied once more her cane to the house. Finally, at the fifth time, she touched the top of the rock with her magic cane saying: “I am Cyclone.” No sooner had she placed her cane there when the rock split open. Her children were standing in exactly the same position as they were in when they were dancing. Then she told them to leave the house. Then after the came out they all started homeward.

Whenever they stopped at a village where they had played shinny, they took with them the women they had won previously. At each village she came to the old woman put her magic cane to the ground. The place would turn over quickly and all the inhabitants would be burred underneath. Then they would start home again. Once more they would come to a river and would stop again for the women whom the boys had previously won. And the old woman would do the same thing as before: she would suddenly upturn the ground on the inhabitants, whereupon they would start out again. Now whenever they would arrive at a village the old woman would thus do to the inhabitants. At last they arrived home. “We will now fix ourselves differently,” said the old woman. “You will turn into winds.” And verily it happened thus. “I myself will travel in the ocean,” the old woman said. “Cyclone will be my name. If anyone should happen to dream of me, he will have the same power as I possess.” Thereupon she went into the middle of the ocean.

Here now the story ends.

Source:

Alsea Texts and Myths, Leo J. Frachtenberg, 1920