Tale Of Elder Brother
Pima (This is a story featuring the Pima culture hero, Elder Brother.)
You people desired to capture Elder Brother so that you might
destroy him, so you went to Vulture.
Elder Brother, as he regained consciousness, rose on hands and feet and swayed unsteadily from side to side. He looked at the land about him, and at first it seemed a barren waste, but as he recovered from his bewilderment he saw the wonderful world Vulture had built. Looking about him he saw a river toward the west along which grew arrow bushes. From these he cut four magic sticks; placing his hand on these he blew smoke over them, whereupon magic power shone forth from between his fingers. He was much pleased with this and laughed softly to himself. He rubbed his magic bag of buckskin four times with each of the four sticks and then put them in and tied it. Then, with his strength fully recovered, Elder Brother began to move. He arose and crushed all mortal magicians; the orator, the warrior, the industrious, and the provident woman, and even ground his own house into the earth. Then he sank beneath the surface of the earth.
He reappeared in the east and made a transparent trail back to the
place where he had gone down. About the base of his mountains the
water began to seep forth; entering, he came out with spirit
refreshed.
Going to the place where he had killed Eagle he sat down looking
like a ghost. A voice from the darkness asked,
On his journey along the sun's orbit Elder Brother came to Talking
Tree.
Tree
broke one of its middle branches and cut a notch around it to form a
war club and gave it to him. Then Tree took a branch on the south
side and made a bundle of ceremonial sticks from it for him.
Arriving at the drinking place of the sun, he knelt down and saw a
dark-blue stone. He left there the sticks cut from the arrow bush
which he knew contained all his enemies' power, but he kept in his
grasp the sticks cut from Talking Tree.
"Why do you come looking like a ghost?" asked the god.
Earth Doctor sent Gray Gopher up through the earth to emerge in the
east by the white water where lay the eagle tail.
He found so many people that he feared they could not be conquered. But he gnawed the magic power of their leader until he weakened it. Then he returned to the council in the nether world, where his power as a magician was recognized, and he was placed on a mat with Elder Brother.
The people were now ready to do whatever Elder Brother desired of
them and, like fierce predatory animals or birds of prey,they poured
out of the underworld and fell upon the people of the upper world,
whom they conquered without difficulty.
Consider the magic power which abode with me and which is at your
service.
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