Made from Bone: Trickster Myths, Music, and History from the Amazon

4. Narratives from "The World Begins"

4 Narratives from “The World Begins” Grandfather Sleep; or, The Origin of Night Long ago Made-from-Bone lived at Hípana, the place where the world began . There was no night, no night for them. The sun was stuck in a single place; it never moved. Made-from-Bone went to work, grew tired, and returned home all the time. He went again, returned, drank patsiáka, and finished; he was tired. He went again; it was like this all the time. He did not know how to rest. “It’s not good how we are living,” said Made-from-Bone. Then some people told him that they lived well elsewhere. “The night falls, then the morning arrives. They work during the day, then they rest at night. They live well,” they said to Made-from-Bone. “They drink patsiáka in the afternoon, and when they’re finished they sleep. Early in the morning they bathe.” “Okay, let’s go and find this for ourselves,” said Made-from-Bone. “Let’s go,” they said. Already they left. They walked, “taa,” very close to the place where they were going. Afternoon began. “The night has already begun to arrive,” they said to Made-from-Bone. “We’re already arriving.” They reached the village of Dáinali, who is called Grandfather Sleep. “Ee, my grandfather.” “Ee, my grandson, who are you?” said Grandfather Sleep. “What is your name?” “I, I am the one who has the name Made-from-Bone.” “Aaa, so it is, my grandson; I have heard about you, my grandson,” he said. “My famous grandson who knows everything. People speak about you. Now I know you in person. How did you come? Why did you come here?” he said to him. “I came to get night. I have no night. I go to work, return, and the sun is stuck in a single place. It is not good how we are living,” said Made-fromBone . “Aaa, I live well, my grandson. Spend the night here and drink some patsiáka. Eat your fill, sleep, and rest,” he said to Made-from-Bone. “We’ll get up in the morning, make some patsiáka, drink until we’re finished, and then go to work. In the afternoon we’ll return and arrive again. Thus we live.” “I came here because that’s what I heard. That’s why I came to your village , so that you would give it to me,” said Made-from-Bone. “Yes, it will be so, my grandson, but it’s bad. Look at how I am,” he said [he had enormous eyelids]. “In order to look at you, I have to hold my eyelids up to see. When they fall down, I don’t see a thing. Tso, it’s bad,” he said. Then Made-from-Bone said, “Bad it may be, but I still want it.” “Okay,” said Grandfather Sleep, “tomorrow we will see how it goes. Either you get it or you do not.” They talked. Grandfather Sleep made a cigar, lit it, and smoked. He blew tobacco smoke. Then he passed the cigar to Made-from-Bone. “Yes, my grandson, smoke the cigar,” he said. “Good, my grandfather.” Made-from-Bone smoked the cigar, blew, finished , and gave it back to Grandfather Sleep. “Yes, grandfather, tobacco.” “Good, my grandson.” “Alíra tobacco, my grandfather,” he said. “Alíra tobacco, my grandson. You already know, it seems, that this is the word.” Thus it will be for the new people living in the future world. “I used to be young, now I am old. I have the sleep of old age,” he said. “Let’s sleep, my grandson, until tomorrow.” Made-from-Bone did not sleep; he thought. How was he to get this sleep? Morning came. Made-from-Bone divined whether it would be better to have sleep of the eyelid or sleep of the heel of the foot. He divined that it was the sleep of the heel that was good. Made-from-Bone said, “If it is the sleep of the eyelid, this would not be good for the new people, for they would have eyelids like this old man, Grandfather Sleep.” Then he divined that it was to be the sleep of the heel, and he felt good. This would work, since the heel of the foot has no place to grow and fall down. They stepped on the ground and went to bathe early in the...