The Bringing to Life of the Wus Brothers by Jeremiah Curtin

CHARACTERS / Kaiutois Gray Wolf / Wus Black Fox

Ten Wus brothers and ten Kaiutois brothers lived together; they were kin. Each man had five daughters, except the youngest Wus brother; he wasn't married. The Wus brothers had a sister; she was nice-looking, but she had such a long neck that she couldn't eat meat; she ate the neck bones of deer; ate five at a time. Everybody in the world knew about her.

One day, when the eldest Wus brother was hunting, he took his drill out of his quiver to start a fire. He put the drill on the ground and the next minute it was gone; he couldn't find it anywhere. That night he said to his brothers: "I was alone all day, but when I put down my fire drill it went away. I hunted everywhere, but I couldn't find it. That means trouble is coming to us; I don't think we will live long."

The next morning when some of the brothers wanted to track deer, the eldest Wus brother said: "We must stay at home to-day. I feel scared about my drill; something bad is going to happen."

Old woman Kaiutois was sick in a little straw house near the big house where her sons lived. She called to them, and said: "I hear people around in the mountains; I think that they are coming to kill us. They are people from the north. I don't know what they say, but they are coming nearer and nearer all the time."

Just then a crowd of men with bows and arrows came down from the mountain. They came to fight the Wus brothers. There were so many that they filled the house, and the brothers couldn't do anything; they were all killed except the youngest Wus brother. He got on the top of the house, made a long leap, then ran as fast as he could.

The strangers killed old woman Kaiutois, but they left Wus' mother alive. They said: "She is old, she won't have any more children; let her stay here."

They cut each man open and took out his heart. They put the hearts on the end of a long pole, burned the house, and started off, taking all the women with them except Wus' mother. When they were out of sight, Wus came home. He found his mother, and asked: "Did they leave the bodies?"

"Yes, but they cut them open and carried the hearts away."

"Don't feel lonesome," said Wus. "I have two minds; I can do anything. I will pay those people for killing my brothers."

The old woman had covered her head with pitch and ashes. Wus told her to go to the river and wash it off. While she was gone, he thought hard and right away there was a new house where the old one had been. It was large and nice, and was full of baskets and mats. He told his mother to make him ten pairs of moccasins.

"Why do you want moccasins? " asked the old woman. "I don't know where to get skin to make them with. " She had a rabbit-skin dress on and he told her to cut ten pieces out of it. Right away the ten pieces were ten pairs of beautiful, beaded moccasins.

The old woman said: "You must be careful. Those men are strong. Maybe they will kill you."

"I am not afraid," said Wus. "I have more power than they have. I am going to find my sister. Maybe I will be gone a long time. Every day you must put down new mats and throw away the old ones. " Then he said to the mats: "There must be new mats here each day."

Wus started. He traveled fast. Each pair of new moccasins lasted ten days. When there was a hole in the heel of one moccasin, he threw the pair away. He wore out five pairs; then he was near the house where the strangers lived. He climbed a high mountain and stayed there all day, watching the people in the valley. He saw his sister; she was almost dead. Men were throwing captives back and forth across a fire; their bodies were burned and black with smoke. At dark the men began to whoop and scream, and to dance around the fire.

Wus thought hard, and made something long and bright. When he raised it up, it blazed like fire. He called it golóbis. When he held it and looked far off, he could see everything. He saw the people throwing his sister back and forth like a ball, across the fire. The pole his brothers' hearts were on was stuck in the ground near the fire. He cried when he looked at his sister and his kin. He said: "I want to have long hair, and I want it covered with nice beads and bones, and I want a blanket, and leggings covered with porcupine quills. " Right away his hair touched the ground, and he had a blanket and leggings covered with beautiful quills. At midnight he went where the people were and stood looking at the fire.

"Who is that? " asked one of the men.

"Maybe that is Wus," said another.

Wus took his bow and arrow and began to whip the bow string with the arrow. It made nice music. Right away the long-necked girl knew that the man was her brother. When he went nearer to the fire, people called out: "Wus! Wus! That man is Wus! " and they were frightened.

"Why do you call me Wus? " asked he.