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 |  | Monday November 23, 2009 2:40 AM |
 | | Native American Myths and Legends | |
how Garter Snake [Chewelah] scared Thunderbird
Every snow, Thunderbird [Suck-z'-cum] of the snow-land came to
devour the fairest of the virgins among the villages. It was the
custom that the maiden go meet the monster, to be eaten for the sake
of her tribe. Thunderbird was satisfied to leave the people unmolested
so long as he was given this yearly sacrifice; but it must be at his
first appearance from the snow-land, at his first rolling among the
clouds. No one had ever been able to scare Thunderbird, could not
frighten him from his human feast. With the spring there was wailing
for the victim.
At last Garter Snake [Sku-qua-wel'hau] thought that he would try to
meet Thunderbird. The maiden chosen to perish was one that Garter
Snake loved. When she left the village crying, going to her terrible
death, Garter Snake put on his best warbonnet and followed her.
The maiden saw him. She begged him to return lest he also be killed.
Garter Snake said, "No! I am going to die with you."
She said to Garter Snake, "Go back to our people! You cannot stand
before Thunderbird! I alone will die!"
But Garter Snake would not turn back. Soon he heard the flapping of
great wings. It was Thunderbird coming. Garter Snake's legs shook
with fear. He wanted to run away, but his pride, his love for the
girl, made him brave. He met Thunderbird without revealing that he
was afraid.
Thunderbird spit fire, spit lightning towards Garter Snake.
Garter Snake did not run. He spit fire back at Thunderbird.
This stopped Thunderbird. Thunderbird thought, "This must be
someone more powerful than I to Spit fire as I do". Thunderbird
said to Garter Snake, "What do you fear? What are you afraid of?"
Garter Snake answered, "I fear nothing! Nothing can hurt me. If
you wish to fight, I will show you how big a fire I can spit."
These words Thunderbird believed, for none of the tribes had dared
to meet him before. Only the timid maidens who came crying to
their death had ever faced him. Thunderbird spit a bigger fire,
thinking to scare Garter Snake. But Garter Snake spit a great fire
streaming in the face of Thunderbird. This soon scared Thunderbird, who
turned towards his snow-country home. Garter Snake followed him,
spitting fire as he chased the big Thunderbird.
Garter Snake said to him after driving him home, "From this day you
will never come back to our land to devour the people. You will only
roam the skies, only make rumblings and crashing amid the storm
gathering."
Since that time Thunderbird has kept away from the people. He
was ashamed because Garter Snake had driven him away with spitting
fire. He never came back to destroy the tribes of the warm countries.
He could only fly through the upper space, only clash his broad wings
among the clouds, spitting fire from his great mouth.
Garter Snake went back to his people with the maiden whom he had
saved. For his bravery in protecting the tribes from Thunderbird,
for scaring away the mighty air-monster with his pretended power,
they gave Garter Snake a pretty green blanket with stripes. This
garb Garter Snake wears to this day.
(Okanagon)
The Indian name for Garter Snake can be transcribed as Sku-qua-wel'hau.
Modified to Chewelah, the name is give to the town in Stevens County, and to the creek that runs through it. The location for both was apparently known for garter snakes,
though some sources say, small water snakes. Others say that from the surrounding mountains, the small brook wound around like a garter snake.
collected by Mourning Dove, in the early part of the Twentieth Century. First published in 1933, the myth was reprinted in an expanded edition, as Tales of the Okanogan, edited by Donald M. Hines,
Ye Galleon Press, 1976
Last Updated
December 23, 2004
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