Arapaho Myths: Journey to the Owners of Moon-shells
There was a camp-circle. In a certain family there were four brothers, two of whom were lazy and dirty. The oldest, who was married, kept these young men at his…
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“Journey to the Owners of Moon-shells” from Traditions of the Arapaho by George A. Dorsey and Alfred L. Kroeber, 1903.
There was a camp-circle. In a certain family there were four brothers, two of whom were lazy and dirty. The oldest, who was married, kept these young men at his own tipi. He would advise them of the necessity of early rising, and tell them of the duties performed by men. "How in the world will either of you ever get to see the owners of moon-shells if you sleep till this time of day? Get up and drink, wash yourselves and dress, as you should. The people in the camp make fun of us for your appearance. You are old enough to dress nicely and to take care of yourselves," said the oldest brother, who was married.
One morning, after the two boys had dressed and eaten their meal, they told their brother that they had made up their minds to live better. These boys never combed their hair, their faces were dirty, and their clothing was not in proper condition, although they were of age. '"You may clean your own tipi, provide food and call the oldest men. We want to be cleaned and dressed up like them," said the brothers. The oldest brother did so. Soon the oldest men were in the tipi. The boys went in, cleaned and dressed and came out different men. When the people saw them they were surprised, because these boys were hard to contend with.
The next morning the boys started in search of the owners of moon-shells, traveling night and day. Finally they came to an old woman's tipi and went in. "Well, grandchildren, I am glad to see you. Where are you going?" said the old woman, smiling. "We are looking for the owners of moon-shells. Can you tell us the way?" said the boys. "When I was a girl I heard about these people, who lived a long distance from here, in the west." The boys went away and reached another old woman's lodge. They went in, asking the same question. The old woman told them that the owners of moon-shells lived in the west.
The boys then tried to make a long journey. This time they reached another old woman's tipi. They went inside. This time the old woman instructed and directed the boys as follows: "Yet a very long way from here you will find a camp-circle. In the center of the camp, in the west, there is a tipi with a banner, and you will find the owners of moon-shells there, behind this tipi, in their own's father's lodge. These owners of shells, with their fathers, take children to water (spring), to give them drink. When these two girls, with the children, go to the spring, their father goes behind. You may watch the girls, children and the father, when you get to the camp. When they go to the spring to give drink to the children, go over and wait until they come."
When the girls saw the boys standing at the spring, they stopped, laughing at them. When the father saw the boys, he said, "Give drink to them first, daughters. They are my sons-in-law." So the girls did, and gave drink to the children afterwards. The boys went along to camp as husbands, and were taken into the tipi, already up. Time passed on, the boys making themselves useful to their father-in-law and others.
The folks at home heard about the boys' luck and about their marriage. The youngest brother wanted to go to his brothers to help them. This boy was ugly, had a big belly and lived with his mother. "You are too small and ugly for your sisters-in-law. You cannot do much for them," said the mother. The boy insisted and finally persuaded his mother. The little boy lived on tallow, which his mother cooked for him. So the mother made fast a dragging cart of poles [travois] to their dog, and loaded it with supplies. Then they went away, traveling day and night, until they reached the camp-circle, where they were received by the father-in-law and others. When the others were about to eat, the boy, who arrived first, told his mother to put a stone pot on the fire and make some tallow soup. The mother felt ashamed of her boy's appearance and the food he ate, and paid no attention to him, but he insisted, until she had to do it. The boy relished his tallow just the same and was contented.
One day the whole camp was attacked by an enemy. The boy felt that it was now his duty to protect, and started out and fought with the rest. The battle lasted for some time, and the two boys were the first to get killed. The people began mourning and continued, day and night, for they thought much of the boys. The mother would take the youngest brother out to mourn (cry) and return late in the even- ing. The boy did not seem to he affected. He would mock his mother and get scolded. "Eh! The sons-in-law get killed in battle. That is nothing. They think they did a brave deed," said the boy sarcastically. "You keep your mouth shut! You are a bad boy, behaving foolishly," said the mother. The boy talked and made hints about his dead brothers.
There was a great deal of crying over the dead, which aroused the boy to try to do a wonder (miracle) . "You may go and tell my father-in-law (he was a son-in-law, like his own brothers) to go and bring my brothers into camp; also tell others to do the same." So the father-in-law did. "You may make a bow and four arrows for me. Paint two of the arrows black, the other two red. You will then erect a sweat-lodge in the center of the camp-circle. Put my brothers first, and place them in the middle, with the rest all around. If the others who have been killed cannot get in, just have their heads stick in, and it will do." The father-in-law did so. The people were watching to see the results and ceased crying.
The boy then took his bow and arrows and began shooting, the black ones first, up in the air. "Look out, my brothers! Get out, brothers!" said he. Then he took the red arrows and did the same way. When he shot the fourth arrow into the air, the brothers came to life again, and also the others.
The girls (owners of the moon-shells) were the two beautiful daughters, and the only ones to supply drink to the children at the spring. There were two of tfiem dressed in gay clothes, and each had dippers of goat horn to give drink with. It is believed that they used river shells for dippers or spoons. The spoon is used in all the ceremonies, and is thought much of. — D,
Told by Holding-Together.
Dorsey, George A., and Kroeber, A. L. Traditions of the Arapaho, Field Columbian Museum, 1903.
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