Anonymous
The Origin of Siuslawn
This happened in the beginning. Long ago, after the world had just been made,
the people of the world assembled together, a very large number of the people.
And then some people began to ask, "For what reason have we been assembled
here?"
And then someone would answer, "Well, I do not know why. It was announced
that the people were going to be assembled from everywhere."
And so they kept on gathering together in large bodies. And, again, one
person would suddenly speak up, "I wonder why we, who live so far apart, have
been gathered here in such large numbers?"
And yet they all kept on arriving in large numbers. All the people had
canoes, and they did all sorts of things. They did much talking, and it was
repeatedly said, "After we have gathered together, the people are going to be
sent into all directions." This they said repeatedly.
Many were the people who kept on assembling. Then, finally, one night a
general discussion was started and the Creator spoke to them in the following
manner: "You shall now hear me explain why I have been assembling the people
here. It will not be long before I will send the people across the rivers. It
will not be long before there will be too many people right here. Therefore, I
shall send you away from here; I shall send you into different directions."
All of those many people listened carefully.
"You are not to go right away. You shall go only when I desire it, then shall
you cross over to the other side."
The people were thinking inside their minds, "To what manner of country, we
wonder, are we going to now?" These were the thoughts of the people.
"Of me Creator is my name. I am the one who made you. My name shall be
Creator." The people were told this continually.
And then when the second assembly of the people took place, he told them: "It
will not be long before I will at last separate you. Because I am now sending
you away, I will always send two people together related as man and wife. I am
now going to send you away. The two people related as man and wife will, on
their part, go to that place. I will always call out the name of the place
wherever I am sending the two people, mutually related as husband and wife. I am
now going to call the name of the place. Are you ready to go now? Wherever I
send these people, they will mutually understand their language. Thus I will
create two tribes at a time from you, so that you will mutually understand your
language."
And then he sent away two people related as husband and wife. "You two will
go to Yakwina in order that you two may bear children there. You will multiply
there; you will bear children there. Your children will likewise bear offspring
there. And these other two will, on their part, go to Alsea, they will bear
offspring there." And then they.departed.
"You will mutually understand each other's language." And so it happened that
the people of Yakwina and Alsea have one language.
"Your children will likewise bear offspring, when you settle there. People
will also live across the river. In this manner will you live after you have
given birth to children. You will then do all sorts of things when there are
many of you." Then they, indeed, acted accordingly.
And then he sent people also to Yahach. "There, too, two people will go and
also bear offspring. Your language will be one and the same language. In three
places will your language be one and the same language." And they, indeed, all
mutually understood their language.
And then he sent two people, related as husband and wife, to Siuslaw, and the
two went there. "You two will bear children there." And they did so.
"Those other two I will send to Umpqua; they shall go to Umpqua. They will
settle there; they will bear offspring there. You and the two Siuslaw people
will mutually understand your language. They will mutually understand their
language. They will bear children there, and their children will likewise bear
offspring there. This you will do whenever you bear children at a certain place.
You will do all sorts of things. Whatever tell you, you will do it
accordingly, whenever summer and winter comes to you: thus you will act. You
will spear the salmon: thus you will live. I have created you to do this. And
then the Siuslaw people and also their children will likewise bear offspring. In
this manner will you populate your lands, wherever I send you to live. I will
give you various things so that you can use them. All sorts of things will I
give to you.
You will always do thus whenever you populate your land. One person will know
how to hunt, and he will spear the salmon. I will grant you everything during
all the seasons of the year. I will grant you all sorts of food."
And then the people acted accordingly.
And they did all sorts of things. Whenever summer or winter came upon them,
they always did all sorts of things. They all made medicine songs, and they also
danced war dances. And it was not long before the people in the villages were
populated their lands. Whenever the winter season came to a place, they would
spear salmon, or they would all spear at night, or they would all catch fish in
the bay, or they would all fish at low tide. This the people did whenever a
change of season set in.
"You will do this whenever a change of seasons comes upon you." And all the
tribes did this.
"All sorts of things, all manner of salmon, the salmon that live in the
ocean, shall you always eat. I am the one who gives it to you. You willll do
this whenever you populate your land." Then, they, indeed, did all as they were
told.
"The people will travel everywhere. I will cause you to go away. This you
will always do. " And then, it was done.
The people had not lived on their rivers for very long when the weather grew
rough all over the world. The earth brough forth a terrible rain and winter set
in all over the world. Only one person knew what to do when it rained very hard;
that one person danced because of the rain. The people were awed by the rain
because the wind blew very hard. Therefore, that one man continued to dance. And
this happened in the world long ago, when those first people began to live in
this world.
There was one man who continually had many dreams and was very important
because he knew how to dream. This is how he acted; all the people everywhere
acted like this. There was one man who would act like this; he knew what the
rain meant. Indeed, he knew everything as soon as it began to thunder hard, and
this frightened all the people.
"It will not be long before the rains will begin. The water will come ashore
from the ocean. I have been told this many times. Therfore, you must take good
care of yourselves, because when the rain begins, the water will come ashore
from inside the ocean."
After that every year was counted, and that one man continually spoke to all
the people: "Take good care of yourselves! It will not be long before the waters
overflow the ocean. At that time the earth will be washed clean."
In fear all the people worried about themselves when they heard him say this.
And all the people worried about themselves when the season changed. All the
people feared for themselves because they believed that man's dreams. They
believed that the dream that spoke to him was true. So whenever he sang all the
people would gather around him and listen carefully whenever he announced that
the water would soon overflow. Therefore, all the people assembled around him
whenever they heard him saying that the water of the ocean would soon come
ashore. Such were the actions of the people.
After one year passed, not long afterward the water of the ocean came ashore.
This happened all over the world. The water of the ocean came ashore everywhere.
No matter how high the mountains, the water covered them all up when it came
ashore.
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