Latest / Old Native American Legends / 012 - Iya The Camp-eater

Transcript

012 - Iya The Camp-eater · Old Native American Legends

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Old Indian Legends by Zitkali Shah, Section twelve. This is
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: A Ya the camp eater. From the tall grass, came
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: the voice of a crying babe. The huntsmen, who were
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: passing nigh heard and halted. The tallest one among them
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: hastened toward the high grass with long, cautious strides. He
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: waded through the growth of green with just a head
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: above it, all suddenly exclaiming whom he He dropped out
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: of sight in another and he held up in both
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: his hands a tiny little baby wrapped in soft brown buckskins.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: Oh ho, a wood child, cried the man, for they
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: were hunting along the wooded river bottom where this babe
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: was found. While the hunters were questioning whether or not
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: they should carry it home, the wee Indian baby kept
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: up his little howl. His voice is strong, said one.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: At times, it sounds like an old man's voice, whispered
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: a superstitious fellow, who feared some bad spirit hid in
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: the small child to cheat them by and by let
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: us take it to our wise chieftain at length, they said,
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: And the moment they started toward the campground, the strange
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: wood child ceased to cry. Beside the chieftain's teepee waited
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: the hunters while the tall man entered with the child.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: How how nodded the kind faced chieftain, listening to the
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: queer story. Then rising, he took the infant in his
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: strong arms. Gently, he laid the black eyed babe in
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: his daughter's lap. This is to be your little son,
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: said he, smiling. Yes, father, she replied, pleased with the child,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: she smoothed the long black hair, fringing his round brown face.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: Tell the people that I give a feast and dance
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: this day for the naming of my daughter's little son,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: bade the chieftain. In the Meanwhile, among the men waiting
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: by the entrance way, one said, in a low voice,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: I have heard that bad spirits come as little children
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: into a camp which they mean to destroy. No, no,
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: let us not be overcautious. It would be cowardly to
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: leave a baby in the wild wood where prowl the
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: hungry wolves, answered an elderly gentleman. The tall man now
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: came out of the chieftain's teepee with a word, he
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: sent them to their dwellings, half running with joy. A
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: feast a dance for the naming of the Chieftain's grandchild.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: Cried he in a loud voice to the village people.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: What what, asked they in great surprise, holding a hand
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: to the ear to catch the words of the crier.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: There was a momentary silence among the people while they
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: listened to the ringing voice of the man walking in
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: the center ground. Then broke forth a rippling, laughing babble.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: Among the cone shaped teepees. All were glad to hear
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: of the chieftain's grandson. They were happy to attend the
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: feast and dance for its naming. With excited fingers, they
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: twisted their hair into glossy braids and painted their cheeks
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: with bright red paint. To and fro hurried the women,
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: handsome in their gala day. Men in loose steerskins with long,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: tinkling metal fringes strode in small numbers toward the center
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: of the campground. Here, underneath a temporary shade house of
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: green leaves, they were to dance and feast. The children
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: in deer skins and paints, just like their elders, were
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: jolly little men and women. Beside their eager parents. They
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: skipped along toward the green dance house. Here, seated in
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: a large circle, the people were assembled. The proud chieftain
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: rose with the little baby in his arms. The noisy
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: hum of voices was hushed. Not a tinkling of metal
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: fringe broke the silence. The crier came forward to greet
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: the chieftain, then bent attentively over the small babe, listening
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: to the words of the chieftain. When he paused, the
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: crier spoke aloud to the people. This woodland child is
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: adopted by the Chieftain's eldest daughter. His name is Chaskey.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: He wears the title of the eldest son. In honor
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: of Chaskey. The chieftain gives this feast and dance. These
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: are the words of him you see, holding a baby
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: in his arms. Yes, yes, hinnew how came from the
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: circle at once? The drummers beat softly and slowly their drum,
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: while the chosen singers hummed together to find the common pitch.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: The beat of the drum grew louder and fast. The
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: singers burst forth in a lively tune. Then the drum
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: beats subsided and faintly marked the rhythm of the singing.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: Here and there bounced up men and women, both young
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: and old. They danced and sang with merry light hearts.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Then came the hour of feasting. Late into the night,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: the air of the campground was alive with the laughing
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: voices of women and the singing in unison of young men.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Within her father's teepee sat the chieftain's daughter. Proud of
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: her little one, She watched over him, asleep in her lap. Gradually,
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: a deep quiet stole over the campground, as one by
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: one the people fell into pleasant dreams. Now all the
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: village was still alone. Sat the beautiful young mother, watching
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: the babe in her lap, asleep with a gaping little mouth.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Amid the quiet of the night, her ear heard the
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: far off hum of many voices. The faint sound of
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: murmuring people was in the air upward. She glanced at
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: the smoke hole of the wigwam and saw a bright
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: star peeping down upon her spirits. In the air above,
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: she wondered, yet there was no sign to tell her
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: of their nearness. The fine, small sound of voices grew
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: larger and nearer. Father, Rise, I hear the coming of
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: some tribe hostile or friendly? I cannot tell. Rise and
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: whispered the young woman. Yes, my daughter, answered the chieftain,
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: springing to his feet. Though asleep, his ear was ever alert.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: Thus rushing out into the open, he listened for strange sounds.
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: With an eagle eye, he scanned the campground for some sign. Returning,
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: he said, my daughter, I hear nothing and see no
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: sign of evil. Nigh, Oh, the sound of many voices
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: comes up from the earth about me, exclaimed the young mother.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: Bending low over her babe, she gave ear to the ground.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: Horrified was she to find the mysterious sound came out
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: of the open mouth of her sleeping child. Why so
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: unlike other babes, she cried within her heart as she
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: slipped him gently from her lap to the ground. Mother,
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: listen and tell me if this child is an evil
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: spirit come to destroy our camp, she whispered loud, placing
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: an ear close to the open baby mouth. The chieftain
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: and his wife, each in turn heard the voices of
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: a great camp, the singing of men and women, the
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: beating of the drum, the rattling of deer hoofs strung
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: like bells on a string. These were the sounds they heard.
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: We must go away, said the chieftain, leading them into
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: the night. Out in the open, he whispered to the
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: frightened young woman, a Ya, the camp eater has come
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: in the guise of a babe. Had you gone to sleep,
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: he would have jumped out into his own shape and
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: would have devoured our camp. He is a giant with
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: spindling legs. He cannot fight, for he cannot run. He
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: is powerful only in the night with his tricks. We
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: are safe as soon as day breaks. Then, moving closer
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: to the woman, he whispered, if he wakes now, he
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: will swallow the whole tribe with one hideous gulp. Come.
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: We must flee with our people. Thus creeping from teepee
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: to teepee, a secret alarm signal was given. At midnight,
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: the teepees were gone, and there was left no sign
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: of the village save heaps of dead ashes. So quietly
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: had the people folded their wigwams and bunt their tent poles,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: that they slipped away unheard by the sleeping Aya babe.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: When the morning sun arose, the babe awoke. Seeing himself deserted,
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: he threw off his baby form in a hot rage.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: Wearing his own ugly shape, his huge body toppled to
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: and fro from side to side on a pair of
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: thin legs far too small for their burden, though with
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: every move he came dangerously nigh to falling. He followed
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: in the trail of the fleeing people. I shall eat
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: you in the sight of a noonday sun, cried Aya
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: in his vain rage. When he spied them encamped beyond
• 12:55
  Speaker 1: a river by some unknown cunning. He swam the river
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: and sought his way toward the teepees hin Hin. He
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: grunted and growled, with perspiration beating his brow. He strove
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: to wiggle his slender legs beneath his giant form. Ha ha,
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: laughed all the village people to see Ayah made foolish
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: with anger. Such spindle legs cannot stand to fight. By daylight,
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: shouted the brave ones who were terror struck the night
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: before by the name a Yah. Warriors with long knives
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: rushed forth and slew the camp eater. Lo There rose
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: out of the giant a whole Indian tribe their campground
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: their teepees in a large circle, and the people laughing
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: and dancing. We are glad to be free, said these
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: strange people. Thus Ayah was killed, and no more are
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: the campgrounds in danger of being swallowed up in a
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: single night time and of Section twelve recording by Robert Scott,
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: August the Second, two thousand and seven,