anonymous
Cyclone Woman
Once there lived an old woman with five children. 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, "you won't be able to do anything when you
go. What do you imagine you can do?"
"Oh, we can play shinny; we can also play the guessing game, and we can dance
a great deal"
Finally the old woman said, "Very well, you may go. But you must take your
younger sister with you."
The boys eagerly agreed to this. Then the old woman spoke to her daughter,
"You will accompany your older brothers and watch over them carefully, so that
no one harms them anywhere. Here, take this stick along. You will use it as a
powerful magic." The old woman repeatedly told her daughter this.
Finally they started out. They soon came to a river, and were inhabitant
spoke to them in the following manner, "Do you want to play shinny?"
"Certainly," they answered. "If you like it, we will begin to play at once."
All agreed quickly to this. So the people placed their bets, and the travelers
placed their sister as their bet. Soon all were playing shinny and the brothers
were staking their sister. They had not played for very long when the brothers
began to win every point. Finally the shinny game came to an end. The next day
they started out on their journey again. Before they set out, they left behind
the women whom they had won in the game. These women became pregnant as soon as
the boys left them.
Then they came to another river. The same thing happened as before: they
began to play shinny with the people. As they had done before, they bet their
sister again, putting her up as their stake. However, 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 constantly stood behind them, but at
a distance. When the night was almost gone, the girl suddenly began to suspect
something. So she said to her brothers, "I fear we will meet with some foul
play." This she told her brothers several times until they stopped dancing. The
next morning they did the same thing as they had done before: they left the
women they had won and said, "We will return for them on our homeward journey."
So they started out again. Once more they came to a river where people were
living in even greater numbers. "Where are you going?," they were asked.
"Oh, we are challenging people to shinny playing."
"Very well," they were told, "we will play a game of shinny against you."
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. At first, only
dentalia shells were place as bets. But the travelers 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 they began to play shinny.
For a long time the game was a tie. But finally the brothers succeeded in
winning enough points to win the game. Then all stopped playing; and after all
were through eating, they began to dance, at night. They had not danced for 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 leave.
"We are going to leave our winnings here."
"All right."
"On our way back we will stop for them." So they started out again.
They had not travelled far when they came to another river. They were ferried
across. "Where are you going?," they were asked after they had 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 play shinny."
They eagerly agreed to it, and the people began to bet one another. Once
again the travelers offered to put up their sister as their stake. Then
everybody joined the shinny game. The game was a tie for a long time, and the
brothers could barely win enough points. In fact, it was almost nighttime when
they at last began to win consistently. So everybody stopped, and when night
came they began to dance again. While they were dancing the house seemed to give
off a cracking sound like metal. The night was almost completely gone when their
sister began to realize the danger they were in. So she told them, "I came close
to not watching over you as I was asked."
So they stopped dancing. When they came outside, the walls of the house
appeared to be made only of ice. In the morning they did the same thing as
before; they left their winnings, that is, the women.
So they started out again. They had not travelled very far when they came
again to a village. Once more they were ferried across. "Hello, are you the boys
who, we're told, travel about beating people at various games?"
"Yes, we're the ones."
"Very well, we'll play you today."
"All right! Let's play shinny."
Then all the people of the village assembled on the river-bank 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. The
game was tied for a long time. The sun gradually set, but still the game
remained tied. Nighttime was fast approaching when the boys at last succeeded in
winning enough points, and everybody stopped playing.
"We should like to see you dance to-night."
"Very well, we'll dance."
So 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 watching suddenly
disappeared. The girl looked around everywhere, but the house had simply turned
into a rock! So she looked up and saw a tiny hole. So she quickly fastened her
cane to the ceiling, climbed her cane quickly and made her escape through that
small hole. However, she did not know what she could do for her brothers. So she
went around the house several times and saw that it was made only of rock.
Nowhere was there even a tiny opening in the stone. She could do nothing, so she
started home. She was ferried across the river, and when she arrived at the
other side, she began her journey home. Pretty soon she began to cry. Every time
she came to a place, where her brothers had previously stopped, she would begin
to cry.
Whenever she came to a village, she would be asked, "Where are your brothers
?"
"Alas! we were tricked." Then she would again be ferried across. And as she
continued her journey home, 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 your brothers?"
"Alas! The house suddenly closed over them! The house turned into a rock! I
barely got out myself!"
"I told you to watch over your brothers constantly; that was why I sent you."
"Yes, but I could't do anything by myself alone, I was overpowered."
So the old woman prepared to go and the two started out. At first nothing was
said to them. But, in fact, as they kept on going the old woman was constantly
laughed at. However, she didn't seem to mind it. On the fifth day they 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 right where
the rock had closed on her children. She walked around the house several times
and sang. She put her stick quickly against 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 getting angry!" said the youngest of her boys'
captors.
Then she touched the house again with her magic cane. It did not shake even a
little. ...
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