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Appendix
- University of Nebraska Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
a retelling of jus-wa-kep-la A similar version of this story was originally published in the Sherman Bulletin 11, no. 5 (January 31, 1912): 1. At the ancient village of Orayvi in northeastern Arizona, a boy named Jus-wa-kep-la lived with his father, mother, and two sisters . The boy had two eagles as pets, which he admired greatly. One day his eagles became hungry, so he took his hunting stick to find rabbits for his pets to eat. While he hunted for rabbits, the boy’s parents went to their field to gather corn, and his sisters stayed at home and prepared dinner. As his sisters cooked the meal, one of the eagles landed on the girl’s shoulder, startling her. In her anger, the sister picked up a broom and killed the eagle by striking him on the top of his head. Shocked that she had actually killed their bother’s eagle, the girls quickly buried the body of the dead eagle, and made their way to another family member’s house to hide. When Jus-wa-kep-la returned home from hunting, he saw that there was no one home and the doors were locked. Not knowing where his sisters had placed the keys, Jus-wa-kep-la looked through the window, and the remaining pet eagle, who was inside, informed him that his sister had buried the keys in a pile of ashes. After Jus-wa-kep-la found the keys and entered the house, the eagle said, “After you eat supper, we will go on a trip to a place far from Oraibi. I will carry you there on my wings. Dress in your dark blue suit so that you will blend in with the darkening Appendix Appendix 172 sky.” The boy did as the eagle instructed, and upon leaving the house, he secured the door and put the key back under the pile of ashes. The eagle told Jus-wa-kep-la to climb on his back, lie flat, and align his body with the eagle’s wings and tail. Jus-wakep -la obeyed, and they flew in the air, the boy having no idea where they were going. Soon, the two flew over a watermelon and corn field, and the eagle told Jus-wa-kep-la to sing one of the songs he had often sung in the past. As the boy began to sing, Jus-wa-kep-la’s sisters heard him, and lifted their heads up toward the sky and witnessed the eagle taking their brother away into space. The boy and the eagle flew in a circular spiral over the girls’ heads, going further upward until all of the Hopis on the mesas leaned as far back as they could to gain sight of the boy and eagle as they disappeared into the distant, darkening sky. Witnessing their brother fly away into the heavens, the boy’s sisters returned home saddened and with much guilt burdening them because of what they had done. Jus-wa-kep-la did not know where the eagle was taking him, and thought that he would end up in a world far beyond the mesas of his people. When the boy and the eagle eventually descended, the eagle flew to a tall butte from which there was no way to get down and told Jus-wa-kep-la to dismount. At this time, the eagle revealed that the other eagle had been killed at the hands of his sisters, and that Jus-wa-kepla must suffer punishment because of the horrible misdeed of his family. The eagle quickly flew off, leaving the boy alone without any food or water. Jus-wa-kep-la was sure he would die, and paced the top of the butte sobbing until a small bird alit on a bush next to him. The robin listened carefully to Jus-wa-kep-la’s tale, and told the boy to lie on the ground with his eyes tightly shut, and [3.90.187.11] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 02:45 GMT) Appendix 173 not to open them until told to do so. Jus-wa-kep-la complied, and the robin gathered other birds together and they carried Jus-wa-kep-la to the ground. The bird then led the boy to the home of his grandmother, saying, “You must stay here until you are led to return home. You and your family are in danger because of your...