Kotharian Lightning

From Wichita Folklore

(Told by Man-who-harms-while-Jesting)

Half-a-Boy (Weksnikataiwa) lived in a village where there were a great many people. This boy was small in height, for he had a hard time in his early life, and that kept him from growing. The place where this boy lived was a lively place, and the young people played all kinds of games, such as shinny, women’s double-ball game, arrow games, etc. These games were played every evening by the young people. This boy Half-a-Boy played his games with the boys of his size. In this village there was nothing that could harm any one, but there was another village north of this village where they was a bad man, who never let nay one escape from his village without being killed. Once upon a time this boy Half-a-Boy decided to pay this village a visit. He often heard of a man who could play the wheel game pretty well, and so he took along with him plenty of things to bet when playing with this man. The wheel game was different from other wheel games played in the village where Half-a-Boy was from, and the rules of the game were harder than theirs, so that when any man from another village was defeated he never again returned to his own village, because he had either to lose his life or win the cruel man’s life.

Half-a-Boy started to the village, and it took two days to get there. The village where the boy was going was due north. It was late in the evening, and he noticed that the village extended east and west, and had in the middle an open place, and in this place he saw a great many people playing some kind of a game. He waited until sundown before entering the place. The place where he waited was a small hill, and at the bottom was the village, and north of the village was flowing water. Upon entering the place that evening he asked the person he met if he could tell him where he could find a place for shelter. Half-a-Boy was directed to go straight to the north side of the village, where he would find the largest tipi, and there he could stay all night. The boy was told that that was a public stopping place for visitors. On his arrival at the place he entered the largest tipi, and he found that that was the home of the chief of that part of the village. Half-a-Boy was requested to pass on where all visitors generally were directed, on the north side of the lodge. Then the chief began to tell him what trouble there was in the village, and how all his visitors suffered when they came to visit him. The trouble was, that any one who visited in the village lost his life, and that there was no way for any one to escape from death on account of the cruel man who lived there. This chief also told the boy that, perhaps, the servant of the cruel man had already seen him and had carried the news of his arrival, and that early next morning he would be called to come to the ground where this man played his wheel games. He told the boy that he would not only have to play his wheel games, but also would have to bet whatever he had, and when he had lost all he would have to bet his life. After telling Half-a-Boy all this he was given something to eat. At this time some of this chief’s friends came around to visit, and later that night they went to their homes. Then Half-a-Boy went to sleep.

Early the next morning he was called to go to the grounds to meet his opponent. Before going there, he first went to some flowing water for his early morning bath. On his return from the bath he went back to the chief’s lodge to get his things that he had brought along to bet. When going to the grounds he was accompanied by the chief and his friends. Upon their arrival they commenced to play the game. In the game that they played they used two long sticks and a wheel. First, they threw the wheel a long way, then ran to it and pitched the sticks into the ring. When they started off the boy lost, and he kept losing until late that day, and finally lost all of the things he had brought along to wager. When he told his opponent that he had lost all of his things and there was nothing else for him to bet, the man told him that he had to bet his life, for his life was just as good as the things that he had already won from him. The boy was told that his body was equal to three bets, the right side of his body, the left, and his back-bone. At this time the sun began to get lower and lower. The boy made the first bet and lost, and when they turned back the boy lost again, and at this time the sun went down, and it began to get dark. The boy then asked his opponent if the third part of his body could be left until the next day, but the man said he had never had any man whom he would play with on the second day, and so he would have to kill him without winning the part. They talked for a good while before the boy could persuade him to have his life spared until the next day.

At last they agreed that he would remain at the grounds and sleep there, so that the next morning the man could come back again and win the other part of his body. This man then called the boy Half-a-Boy, because he had lost a part of his body by gambling, and so this was when he first got his name Half-a-Boy.

Everybody left the grounds, and Half-a-Boy remained there where he he agreed to stay all that night. Half-a-Boy then did not know what to do after this, and so stayed awake until he saw that everybody had gone to sleep. After everybody had gone to sleep he heard two women coming toward him where he was lying, and calling his name, “Half-a-Boy,” and saying to one another: “Do ahead and speak to him.” The boy heard everything they said, and finally both of the women came to where he was and called to him to rise, for they were coming after him. The boy arose from his sleeping place and went with the tow women. While on the way they told him that they had taken pity on him, and they asked him if he could run fast enough to keep up with them. The boy told them that he was a fast runner. The two women then told him to come, and the boy found out that the women were Buffalo cows. They all then began to travel faster, so that the boy could have plenty of time to come back. They traveled part of that night and while traveling he saw a light a good long way from them. Then the two Buffalo cows told him that where he had seen light was where they were going, and that the light was their grandfather and grandmother taking a smoke. They then finally reached the place, and he saw an old man and an old woman sitting down smoking. These two young women then requested the old people to make haste and give him powers, so that he could get out of his trouble. Then the boy was requested by the old man to place the black stick where it belonged. This black stick belonged in the ring, representing the old man and the old woman. Then he was given instructions. He was requested to let the black stick remain in the ring, where it belonged, and to give the red stick to his opponent. He was instructed not to allow any one to get the black stick out of the ring. The first thing he was to do on arriving at the village was to go to the chief’s house and place the sticks and wheel where he had his other things, on the wall between the tipi and the poles, and to let the black stick remain in the ring, and then go to where he had agreed to stay.

He was told, in the beginning of their playing, when using his opponent’s sticks, to pass the stick through the left hand four times, and when he hurled the stick, to hit the other man’s stick and break it, so that he would not have any to use; that after so doing, his opponent would call for his stick, just as a joke, knowing that he had already won his sticks; and when he should say this the boy should tell the chief quietly to go after his stick, not failing to tell him to let the black stick remain in the ring, and telling him also to carry the black stick with the ring on his right and the red one on the left, and also telling him to offer the red one to his opponent; that when bringing in his sticks to the grounds his opponent would try hard to get to use his stick, but that he should not let him use it. He was also told that every time he won, he should not listen to his promises, but should keep on playing for the last part of his body; that then he should step out of the way and let them (the Buffalo) take his life. This was the instruction given by these two Buffalo.

The boy immediately turned back to the village. He soon arrived and went straight to the chief’s place, and placed his sticks as he had been requested to do. Then he went to bed for a while, until nearly daylight. Then he went straight to the place where he had agreed to stay all that night. Early that morning there came his opponent, ready to win the part of the boy’s body. At that time, crowds from both sides of the village began to gather around the scene of the play ground. The chief whom this boy was visiting came around to see the last of the visiting boy. The boy then asked his opponent to let him see his stick that he was using, but this man refused to let him lay his hands on his stick. The boy kept begging to be allowed to see his stick, so that finally the stick was handed to him, and he was told if that would do him any good to do ahead and look at it. So the boy took the stick in his right hand and passed it through his left hand four times and then gave it back. Then they commenced to play the game. On the first trial, when pitching the sticks, the boy hit the man’s stick and broke it in two. The man was angry, and was about to kill him. Finally he asked the boy in jest to go after his own sticks, if he had any, so that they might finish the game. The boy called the chief and asked him to go after his sticks. He told the chief to let the black stick remain in the wheel and leave it on the right hand, and the other on the left, and to be sure in handling the sticks to hand the red one to the other man, and the black one to him. The chief went off toward his home slowly, wondering if this poor boy had any sticks. When the chief arrived at the place he saw the sticks and took them, as he was requested to do. When he came to the grounds he handed the red one to the man, but he refused to accept the red one, saying that he expected to use the black one. The boy took his black stick and the man then had to used the red stick. The man asked to be allowed to lay his hands on the black stick, and so he was given the black stick, expecting to do the same thing that was done to him. Then the boy said that the wheel had to be thrown a long way in the grass before pitching the sticks.

Then the big game began. When first pitching the sticks the wheel always had to be thrown in the grass and the black stick would never fail to find the wheel, because the stick really belonged there. Night or day, the black stick would find the wheel. When they first pitched the stick the man tried to break Half-a-Boy’s stick, but failed. The boy won the first time, and won back one third of his body. Half-a-Boy had already announced that he wanted to double his bet at all times. He won right along, without allowing his opponent to win a single point. Half-a-Boy finally won everything that the people in his opponent’s village had, until the people began to carry out everything that they had, for they were glad to see some one win things from the cruel man. Before noon, Half-a-Boy won everything that was in the village. This man whom he was playing with was a shadow, and his name was Shadow-of-the-Sun (Ihakaatskada). He began to cry out, “This is the first time I ever had any one who could play so well! I wonder where he got such powers!” He told the boy that he had won all that he had, but the boy told him to bet his people off; that there were a good many of his people yet. In doubling the bets it did not take him very long to win all the cruel man’s people.

When the boy had won all the people, Shadow-of-the-Sun told the boy that he had won everything that he had at the present time, and that he wanted to stop. But the boy told him that he had to bet his life, as he himself had don, and that he would bet his own life against the man’s life, in one bet. Finally Shadow-of-the-Sun said that his rule in betting human beings was always to bet three bets. He also asked the boy if his life could be spared, and told him that if he would spare his life he could have the same powers that he had, and could be a great chief among his people. But the boy told him that he did not have any use for his powers, and that he did not have any people for him to be chief of. They commenced to play again, and the boy won the first third of Shadow-of-the-Sun’s body, then the second, then the third part of Shadow-of-the-Sun’s body. When he pitched the last stick he jumped out of the way, and when the stick entered the wheel there arose two great, big Buffalo, who set after Shadow-of-the-Sun and hooked him until they tore him in pieces. Wherever there was left a large piece of his body it would still run, and the Buffalo would take after it again. The boy then requested the people to father wood to burn the body. While the people were getting the wood these Buffalo left the village and went toward the north. Then, when the people gathered enough wood, they piled it up and began to burn the body of Shadow-of-the-Sun. Half-a-Boy also had the people gather all the human bones that were lying around about the village, and these they threw into the fire. As soon as the fire began to die down, Half-a-Boy began to poke the fire, and one at a time, the men who had been killed by Shadow-of-the-Sun jumped out of the fire. When the fire went out there was a great crowd of men around there who were saved by this poor boy, Half-a-Boy. Before burning Shadow-of-the-Sun’s body, Half-a-Boy told him that he would have less powers if he should ever live again.

Half-a-Boy then ordered the people to go to their homes. The chief told the boy that he could be the head chief of his village. Half-a-Boy refused to become a chief. He told the people that he had done them some good, but that he could not any longer be with them, for he was going to the people who had saved his life. He told the people that they could see him when they found the Buffalo. Half-a-Boy then turned into a Blackbird and flew off toward the north, where the two Buffalo had gone.

Source:

The Mythology of the Wichita, George A. Dorsey, 1904