538 SENECA FICTION, LEGENDS, AND MYTHS [bth.ann. 32 



her into exile from their present settlement. And they all agreed to 

 emigrate with her. She told them further that they would ascend 

 the river in canoes of birch bark, which would enable them to trans- 

 port their small belongings with ease. So the people set to work to 

 construct the water craft. Two canoes of birch bark of suitable size 

 were made, and these were fastened together by means of strong sap- 

 lings extending from one canoe to the other so as to support a kind 

 of platform extending over the canoes and the space between 

 them-. This structure was for the sole use of the chief, Godasiyo. 

 The followers of Godasiyo proceeded to construct birch-bark canoes 

 for themselves also. When Godasiyo took her seat on the craft con- 

 structed for her sole use all her adherents and defenders laimched 

 their own canoes containing their effects. 



When all had embarked, with Chief Godasiyo in the lead, all 

 paddled upstream. The flotilla of canoes was very large, covering 

 the sui'face of the water as far as the eye could see up and down the 

 river. After they had paddled a long distance, the people finally 

 came in sight of the forks in the river, and then it was that they 

 began to converse together — the two divisions of canoes, one on each 

 side of the float of th chief, Godasiyo — as they paddled upstream. 

 One division chose one of the forks in the river as the course to 

 follow to their new settlement, and the other division elected to 

 turn into the other channel. Each division gave its reasons for the 

 choice which it had made, and the divergent views gave rise at last 

 to heated discussion. This strife continued to the point where, 

 if persisted in, the people would become definitely' separated, still 

 no compromise was effected; so the leaders in each division turned 

 the prows of their canoes so as to ascend the fork of the stream 

 which they had selected. Thus they began to separate. 



When this movement began the two men paddling the two canoes 

 on which rested the float of Chief Godasiyo disagreed as to the 

 course that they should take under the ciicumstances. As each chose 

 the fork branching off on his side of the stream, the two canoes 

 became separated, and the platform on which Chief Godasiyo was 

 sitting slipped off" its support, falling into the water and carrying 

 the chief with it. The people drew near and, looking into the water 

 to see what had become of their chief, they saw that she had sunk 

 to the bottom, where she had become transformed into a great fish. 



Thereupon the people of the two divisions attempted to con.\ersc 

 together, but they were unable to understand one another, for their 

 language had become changed. It was in this manner that this body 

 of people became divided and pos.sessed of different languages. Thus 

 it came about that there are so many languages spoken by the vari- 

 ous tribes dwelling on this earth. 



