Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians: Title Page

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37. WHY THE OPOSSUM HAS NO HAIR ON HIS TAIL (Tuggle collection) When there was a great flood all the animals were put in the ark, except the male opossum. A female opossum climbed up on the side of the ark and when the waters rose, her tail hung down into the water. When the waters subsided it was found that all the hair on her tail had come off and ever since then the opossum's tail has been without hair. All of the male opossums were drowned, so this female went off alone feeling ashamed, and coiled herself up as if dead. Her nose was near her side, and after breathing a long time in this position little opossums appeared in her pouch, and thus the young opossums have been born ever since. 38. WHY THE OPOSSUM HAS NO HAIR ON HIS TAIL (49) (SECOND STORY) (Tuggle collection) The Raccoon met the Opossum, and the Opossum said: "How did you make such pretty rings on your tail?" The Raccoon replied: "I wrapped bark around my tail and stuck it into the fire." Then the Opossum got some bark, wrapped it around his tail, which then had hair on it, and built a fire. He stuck his tail into the fire and burned all of the hair off and ever since then opossums have had no hair on their tails. p. 42 Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians: Title Page 39. THE RACE BETWEEN THE CRANE AND THE HUMMING BIRD (50) (Tuggle collection) A Humming Bird challenged a Crane to a race. The Crane consented and selected the course from the spot on the stream where they then were to a spring at its head. When the word was given the Humming Bird flew swiftly up the stream but soon lost sight of the water and found himself in the woods. Then he returned to the stream and decided to fly over the water, always keeping in sight of it. The Crane knew the course of the stream and when the Humming Bird arrived at the spring he found that his rival had been there for some time. 40. RABBIT GETS MAN-EATER OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OCEAN (65) Rabbit and Man-eater met and they got to bragging about the nature of their excrement. In order to prove their contentions they sat down side by side, closed their eyes, and defecated. Before Man-eater opened his eyes, however, Rabbit shifted the excrement, and when they got up there was a great pile of bones under him. "That is my kind of excrement," he said. When Man-eater got up he found his looked very different and exclaimed, "That is not my kind at all. There is something wrong." Afterwards they went down together to a creek called Sprinkling. (hot-ashes) Creek (Tofogaga håtci). They camped there for the night, making a good bed of coals before they went to sleep. While Man-eater slept Rabbit got up, sprinkled some coals where he had been lying and threw a lot over Man-eater. Then he began to brush ashes off of himself so that Man-eater found him doing it when he got up badly burned. However, Man-eater mistrusted him and gave chase to him. By and by they came to a creek which Rabbit jumped across. Then Rabbit kept jumping back and forth across it, pursued by Man-eater, and as he did so the creek got wider and wider, until finally Rabbit was left on one side and Man-eater on the other. This story is used as a medicine song in cases of cholera morbus. file:///I|/mythology/american indian/41/41.html (36 of 164) [01/24/2004 9:03:18 AM]
41. RABBIT GETS MAN-EATER OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OCEAN (65) (SECOND VERSION) Lion used to live on this side of the ocean where he killed people and ate them. Therefore, the people got Rabbit to get him over to the other side. Rabbit went to meet Lion and said, "I know where you can find lots of people to eat. I eat them myself." "You poor little thing," said Lion, "what can you eat?" Rabbit said: "They p. 43 will come ashore in a boat from a vessel, and you can eat them, but first we will hang up long pieces of bark about the fire." So they went out and collected many pieces of dry bark which they hung up around the fire in order to be ready to cook the people whom they killed. By and by both went out after human flesh, and, when they came in, Lion said: "I have all I want. It doesn't look as if you had eaten anything good." "The only way to prove that," said Rabbit, "is to sit side by side with closed eyes and defecate. Whoever passes human bones has eaten human flesh." They did so, and Lion defecated human bones, while Rabbit passed only balls of grass, but before they opened their eyes again, he changed the places of the excrement. The Rabbit said: "You do not know where to go." After that Lion did not want to be with him any more, but Rabbit persuaded him to stay. That night they prepared to sleep on opposite sides of the fire. While they were preparing Rabbit said: "What do you say when you are asleep?" "I snore," said Lion. "What do you say?" "I say said Rabbit. After they had been lying down for a while, Lion began to snore, and Rabbit saw that he was fast asleep. Then he got up, set the dried barks on fire, and threw them down on top of Lion. Lion was so badly burned that he jumped into the ocean and swam away, and he did not stop swimming until he reached the other side, where he is to-day. (Told by Silas Jefferson.) 42. RABBIT GETS MAN-EATER OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OCEAN (65) (THIRD VERSION) (Tuggle collection) The Rabbit was traveling from west to east and met the Lion going from east to west. The Rabbit was very fond of the ladies and felt jealous of the Lion and wanted to get rid of him. "What," said he to the Lion, "do you eat as you travel?" "I eat a variety of things," said the Lion, "I eat everything as I go. What do you eat?" "Oh, I eat a variety too, just like you. Suppose we travel together." They turned and went along in company. "We will camp to-night," said the Rabbit as they journeyed along, "at a creek called 'Throwing-hot-ashes-on-one. "' As night came they reached the creek. A fire was made and they sat and talked for some time. When they grew sleepy the Rabbit said: "What sort of noise do you make when you sleep?" The Lion imitated a coarse heavy snore, and asked the same question of the Rabbit. "Oh, I just say n-o-ch, n-o-ch, n-o-ch" (the first syllable of the Muskogee word meaning "sleep"). p. 44 Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians: Title Page Each took one side of the fire and the Lion soon heard the Rabbit saying n-o-ch, n-o-ch (sounding "nutz, nutz"). He thought the Rabbit was asleep and before long he fell asleep and began to snore loudly. Meanwhile the Rabbit peeped at him constantly and finally jumped up. He threw some cold ashes all over himself. Then, taking a broad piece of bark, he threw a mass of hot ashes and coals on the Lion, who rose with a roar, exclaiming: "What's the matter?" "Oh, I told you this creek was called 'Throwing-hot-ashes-on-one.' Look at me. Let's jump across the creek," and away he jumped across the stream, followed by the Lion. "Now back again," and across they went again. "Now again," and the Lion jumped again, but the Rabbit stood on the west bank. Suddenly the banks separated and the stream widened into an ocean. The Lion wandered along the bank, trying to cross. At last he met a Crane and said to him: "How can I cross to the other bank?" "Just climb on my back and I will stick my bill in the other bank so that you can walk over," replied the Crane. The Lion jumped on the Crane's back, but when he walked out on his neck the Crane cried out in pain: "Oh, you are breaking my neck." After several similar attempts the Lion returned to the eastern bank and never was able to cross the big water to the western side. So the Rabbit got rid of his rival. file:///I|/mythology/american indian/41/41.html (37 of 164) [01/24/2004 9:03:18 AM]
Page 1 and 2: MYTHS AND TALES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN
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Page 15 and 16: sharp one for each. The man's suspi
Page 17 and 18: certainly do so," he answered. The
Page 19 and 20: he married. Then he said to his mot
Page 21 and 22: When he grew older she said, "Go an
Page 23 and 24: of the hitci påkpågi, which is th
Page 25 and 26: screamed around their poles. "At la
Page 27 and 28: contest with him. You had better no
Page 29 and 30: 23. THE MAN WHO BECAME A SNAKE (35)
Page 31 and 32: Ever after people avoided that pond
Page 33 and 34: (SECOND VERSION) (Tuggle collection
Page 35: "He does not want any." they said,
Page 39 and 40: 45. RABBIT TRIES A GAME OF SCRATCH
Page 41 and 42: 51. RABBIT ENGINEERS A TUG OF WAR B
Page 43 and 44: wondered how the Rabbit could stand
Page 45 and 46: Then Dr. Buzzard came in haste and
Page 47 and 48: measure you and see if I am not rig
Page 49 and 50: "And then I heard it on the other s
Page 51 and 52: house where the girl lived. Rabbit
Page 53 and 54: p. 70 rumbling in the west will pre
Page 55 and 56: His grandmother was asleep, but the
Page 57 and 58: 84. THE ORDERING OF FIELD WORK (5)
Page 59 and 60: oad. The smallest boy started off o
Page 61 and 62: gained it, it seemed to fly before
Page 63 and 64: HITCHITI STORIES 1. BEAR, TIGER, RA
Page 65 and 66: the thing sitting on the eggs flew
Page 67 and 68: we had better move from here. Do yo
Page 69 and 70: 16. THE HUNTER AND THE TIE-SNAKE (2
Page 71 and 72: He stuck a stick into his nose, ran
Page 73 and 74: to prove it." When Rabbit told the
Page 75 and 76: p. 109 31. RABBIT AND WILDCAT Rabbi
Page 77 and 78: 36. RABBIT IS SENT WITH MEDICINE A
Page 79 and 80: p. 116 Some time afterwards a man o
Page 81 and 82: to fight. But the Alabama who had r
Page 83 and 84: 8. HOW WATER WAS LOST AND RECOVERED
Page 85 and 86: she approached. The third night the
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"Cut off a piece of your body and r
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walks about," and she answered, "Th
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They went on and came to another pe
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am a panther," and jumped up upon i
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lying. He came to the camp. The oth
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32. THE BEAR PEOPLE (29) The people
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its young ones. Then it followed an
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could not be detected. Then no Choc
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adly hurt. In the morning Rabbit sa
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up again. After this had happened s
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3. THE STARS-IN-A-ROW Three persons
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my grandmother's basket." "No, she
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He went on until he came to where t
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But when they got home, their mothe
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17. THE OBSTACLE FLIGHT (9) Big Man
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21. THE GIANT ELK (46) A man travel
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26. STORY OF TWO BROTHERS WHO TRIED
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threw him down to be food for an ea
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38. THE MAN WHO TREATED A GHOST (24
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"Opossum called me 'LMfga tail.' Wh
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Big Man-eater said, "I can bring it
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on the rock and when he began chopp
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63. RABBIT FOOLS WILDCAT (69) While
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him and then go back to the limb, s
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218:2 An old Natchez story. Footnot
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p. 224 The boys played around in th
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Not long afterwards the boys said,
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to him. "I am going to my mother's.
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oy said, "If you have any relations
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11. ADOPTION OF THE HUMAN RACE The
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"Your wife and the one who stole he
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19. THE PYGMIES (28) There is a rac
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troubled with headache, and I don't
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answer, "It is hurting him where I
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whooping. 34. RABBIT AND WILDCAT (6
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39. THE INDIAN MUNCHAUSEN (74) A ma
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COMPARISON OF MYTHS The accompanyin
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ut it so happens that something of
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49. The Wolves and the Fawn: Natche
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