In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

CHAPTER TEN The Bead-SpitterlMarooned Hero In the Southeast was told an unusual legend. Called "Bead-spitter" from its opening motif, it is represented only among the Alabama, Koasati, and Creek, but it is a thought-provoking occurrence. Bead-Spitler • • • CREEK Bead-spiner (Konapkeso'tka) lived in a certain place. Two young women heard the name and, thinking that it must belong to some person, started out to find him. They traveled an entire day and when it was getting dark met Rabbit. I "Where are you going?" he said. "We are going to Bead-spitter's." "Ku ku ku ku," he exclaimed, "you are naming somebody." "We do not know him," they replied, "but we thought there might be such a person and so we set out to fmd him." "What do you want of him?" "We want some beads." "You can't go until morning;' said Rabbit. "Remain here all night." They did so, and Rabbit slept with one ofthem. In the morning he had disappeared, but when he came back he had a mouthful ofbeads which he blew all about. The one he had slept with gathered them up and began stringing them, and she said to the other, "You string some ofthese beads also," which she began doing.2 Rabbit had taken these beads from the young buzzards while their mother was away, and when she came back they told her what he had done. At that she became angry and started offto Rabbit's house. There she called out, "Pasiko- 'lya' (a story name of Rabbit), what have you done to my children? You have done them great injury." When the young women heard these words they pulled off their beads, dropped them upon the ground, and started away. Late that evening they came upon Ground Squirrel (Tcithloktco), and he said to them, "Where are you going?" "Weare going to Turkey-killer's (Pin-li'dja's)," they answered. "It is a 190 long distance," he replied. "You had better stay all night." They replied that they had been deceived before and hesitated to do so, but he answered that he was no "underminer," and he urged them to remain because it was late. ''As you come near the dwelling of Turkey-killer, you will begin to find turkey feathers, at first only a few and as you go on more and more. They will be deeper and deeper and when they are over your heads you will have arrived at his house." "Then, we think we will stay with you," they answered. They did so, and set out again in the morning, but found that during the night Ground Squirrel had gotten inside of the dumplings (odjo'tadja-haga) they carried and eaten them all out. By and by they came to the feathers which lay deeper upon the ground as they proceeded, and when these were over their heads they came out into the yard ofTurkey-killer's house. "Whither are you traveling?" said Turkey-killer. "We heard that there was a Bead-spitter and we wanted some beads. That is why we came." "I am the one," he answered, "but I cannot provide the beads until tomorrow morning and you must remain all night." So the young women spent the night at that place. After daybreak the man came to them and said, "Was anything wrongful done to you while you were on the way?" The one with whom Rabbit had sleptdenied it. "Then everything will be all right," he said. He gave a new sofki riddle (a woven basket) to each of them and continued, "Go to the creek and dip up water and if your story is true you can bring them back full but if it is false the water will run through." So they went down to the creek and dipped their riddles into it, but when they took them up the water ran through the riddle ofthe woman with whom Rabbit had slept, while that in the other remained.3 When she brought it to the house the man told her to sift, and as the water came through it turned into beads. Then he told both of them to string these beads, but while he kept the one who was honest as his wife, he sent the other back. [The text continues into Lodgeboyand Thrown-away. )4 This is a complicated and delightful legend. It has a trickster incident with Rabbit seducing one of the women...

Share