Blaiwas and the Head by Jeremiah Curtin
"Blaiwas and the Head" is a Native American myth collected by Jeremiah Curtin that follows the trickster figure Ndúkis and his eventual fate after deceiving two sisters into believing he is the great chief Blaiwas. Blaiwas and his fellow head men live on a high mountain where the surrounding people bring them meat. They employ Ndúkis, a poor hunter known as Hawk, to divide their meat, and they mock him for his inadequacy by throwing food into his open mouth. Meanwhile, old woman Wûlkûtska sends her two daughters up the mountain to find husbands among the great hunters, advising them that Blaiwas can be recognized because he flies without moving his wings. On the mountain, the sisters observe Ndúkis struggling to fly in imitation of Blaiwas. The elder sister mistakes him for the chief, and despite the younger sister's repeated doubts, they follow Ndúkis home to his poor brush house and take up residence with him. Ndúkis desperately maintains his deception, even cutting meat from his own legs to feed the sisters when he cannot bring home proper game. The younger sister suspects the meat is not deer, but the elder silences her. When Ndúkis is summoned to divide meat at Blaiwas's large house, the sisters follow him and witness him being fed like an animal by the true head men. They also see Blaiwas himself for the first time, recognizing the truth of their elder sister's mistake. Shamed, the sisters flee. Both Ndúkis and Blaiwas pursue them, and when they meet, a quarrel breaks out that escalates into a full battle between Ndúkis's four brothers and Blaiwas's four brothers. The eldest Blaiwas kills Ndúkis's brothers, then decapitates Ndúkis and flies upward toward the sky with the severed head. He warns the sisters not to look up, as doing so will cause the head to fall and destroy his brothers. Unable to resist, the sisters look up. The head falls, crashes to earth, and kills all four of Blaiwas's brothers. The living head becomes the husband of the two sisters. The younger sister, terrified, refuses to remain near it, but the elder sister places the head in her basket and carries it on her back, weeping constantly. The head proves useful, directing the woman to prop it in position so it can fly at game and kill deer, after which she must butcher and dry the meat before moving on. Though distressed, the woman tends to her unusual husband's needs. Seeking help, the woman travels toward Kumush, a powerful creator figure, hoping he might restore her husband. Kumush encounters her on the road and decides he wants her as a daughter. When he investigates her basket, he discovers the head with its great eyes and long hair, which frightens him. The head demands to be brought inside, and Kumush obliges, fixing a proper place for it. Kumush announces that he will build a sweat house for the head, claiming affection for it and a desire to give it a body, though his true intention is to kill it. He constructs the sweat house, covers it with five layers of stone, heats rocks until they glow red, places the head inside, and seals the entrance. The head screams to be released, threatens to break free and kill them both, and finally hurls itself against the stones, shattering four of the five layers before its strength fails and it dies. When Kumush opens the sweat house, he finds not the head but a beautiful young man lying dead on the ground. Both Kumush and the woman grieve. Kumush removes the body, builds a great pyre, and burns it. As the flames consume the young man, Kumush declares that henceforth all people shall burn their dead as he is burning this man, and the story closes with the narrator's note that this was the practice of the people until white men arrived.
By Jeremiah Curtin · First published 1912 · Genre: Folklore, Mythology, Fantasy · 2,171 words
First lines
CHARACTERS / Blaiwas Eagle / Dásläts Panther / Ndúkis Hawk / Tcûskai Weasel / Wûlkûtska Marten
Blaiwas, Dásläts, Wûlkûtska, and other strong men, lived in a house on a high mountain. They were head men, and all the people around brought them meat. One day, Blaiwas said: "We had better let old man Ndúkis divide our meat. " They called Tcûskai, a fast runner, and sent him for Ndúkis.
What this Textopian page supports
Blaiwas and the Head is listed on Textopian as a short story by Jeremiah Curtin, dated 1912 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Jeremiah Curtin
- Date: 1912 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Folklore, Mythology, Fantasy, Adventure, Tragedy
- Length: 2,171 words
- Structure: 1 section, 50 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Blaiwas and the Head by Jeremiah Curtin
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Genres
- Folklore — The narrative structure, character archetypes (animal-named characters), moral lessons, and cultural transmission indicate this is a traditional folk tale collected and transcribed by ethnographer Jeremiah Curtin.
- Mythology — The story features supernatural elements, transformation, magical abilities (flying, disembodied heads), and establishes cultural origin explanations, particularly regarding funeral practices.
- Fantasy — The work contains fantastical elements including anthropomorphic characters with animal names, magical flying abilities, a sentient severed head, and supernatural resurrection attempts.
- Adventure — The plot progresses through a series of challenges and quests including hunting expeditions, romantic pursuit, conflict with rivals, and the woman's journey seeking help from Kumush.
Tags
folktale · mythology · Native American folklore · indigenous oral tradition · supernatural · legendary characters · mythic adventure · traditional storytelling · spiritual beliefs · fantastic tale · cultural heritage · oral literature