The Geggar's Son, Part VI

I think maybe one, or two more episodes besides this one should wrap it up for San'hode'di'. It's been a long strange trip indeed! It gets even stranger so let's go....

The next morning the young man drew a woman with a chant. And she gave him her leg wrapping, and the young man said that she would see old age.
He made a beda like an antelope, and laced it up with the woman's leg wrapping. Early the next morning he got up and counted all the doorways in the village. Then he went to where there was a herd of antelope, he could do this for he had the beda over him. The young man killed as many antelopes as there were doorways. When he returned home he told the people that they should send one man from each doorway and go out and carry home an antelope.
When the people returned they said, "Our Son-in-Law is Great!" "He must have a Long House!" The next morning he killed two antelopes for each doorway, and told the people that they should send two from each doorway. Then the people gave him two Long Houses.
On the third morning. Three antelopes, three Long Houses. On the fourth morning, four antelopes. When the people returned they said, "Our Son-In-Law is very great! We will always have meat!" The young man was given ten Long Houses in all.
On the fifth day, San'hode'di', the beggar's son, set out for the home of the Mountain People called Tqo chee o whee tso. He started to hunt as before but when he neared the herd, Coyote hit him with his hide, and upon him he blew four times. Coyote took his beda and placed it on his own head. The young man was left in the form of a skinny coyote.
Now the coyote could not kill a single antelope, even with the beda. So he took the discharge from his eyes and laid it in a row. He stepped over it four times and it turned into fat. He then took this to the two young wives. The younger sister then told the elder , " that man that had come to them was not their husband."
The beggar's son, in the coyote skin, turned east and that night he lay under a cedar tree and ate its berries. Then the young man traveled south, that night he lay under a bush called Kin jilth ie', and ate its berries. The third night he had traveled west and lay under an iron bush, to this day the berries are called Maida, because he ate them. The fourth day he went to the north, and that night he lay under a wild rose bush and ate its berries. After the fourth day he went out and fell down... almost dead.
Now a person called Dotso went to Tqo che o whee tso and told the people there that the young man was laying down out in the open almost dead.
Then the Holy Young Man, the same one that called him brother in his mother's house, went to him.
When he found the skinny coyote he said, "What are you doing here, Tqo che o whee tso tsel kee?" The poor coyote finally managed to get to his feet, he tried to speak but all he could manage to do was howl like a coyote.
Then the "brother" made a ring out of young cedar big enough to push the coyote through. When he did the skin ripped open and the young man's head was exposed. Then he made a ring out of the kin jilth and when he pushed him through again, the skin tore down so that half the young man's body could be seen. The Holy Being made a ring out of iron bush and this time the skin dropped to the young man's knees. Then a ring of wild rose freed him.
This all took place so that the people would have medicine for a wrong that they would do. The beggar's son was instructed on this. It was necessary for the beggar's son to under go this black magic transformation so that he could make known the medicine. A certain kind of plant that attracts moths and butterflies, but when they land on it they fall over dead.
While the young man was being told as to what should take place in the ceremony by the Holy Being, they saw the coyote going by with the beda. The young man was told to go hit him with his own hide, and blow upon him four times. This he did and the creature returned to his own form. The headdress however, looked and smelled awful. The skin had spoiled it. The young man, even so, killed one antelope on his way home.
On his way home he met a little creature coming out of the ground. This person said, "I saw that you had a hard time of it." The young man answered, "I had a hard time of it grandfather."
This person said, "You were given power from the Sun and White Bead Woman, and also Tqo che o whee tso hastin, the Mountain Man. But there are one or two things they did not tell you. That's why you have had trouble. Come home with me. Then he raised up a greesewood bush and blew four times on the opening and they went into his home.
This person told the young man that he had heard that Earth People's tobacco was very sweet and he longed to taste it. So this person rolled four smokes from the young man's tobacco. Each time he smoked one he killed little animals and brought them back to life. He said, "I see, my grandson, your tobacco is very good!" Then he told the young man of the ceremony that had not been made known to him. He taught him all the chants that are to be sung.
This person then wanted a gift, so the young man put the antelope hide on him and blew four times, it became his coat. He is known as "Ha zeylth gaeye", the ground squirrel, he was well pleased.
The beggar's son then went to a place called Tse jinjeda lia. At this place he under went another prayer ceremony. It is called the Prayer of the Turquoise Boy, Des chee del ja. It was Turquoise Boy himself that offered it to the young man for his protection.
Then the young man was made so that nothing in heaven or on earth could harm him.
He was ready to return to his home....

I am what I am