PARSONS] TALES OF WITCHCRAFT 431 



of the town whence the witches would carry them to their cliff. The 

 witch chief gave a basket and bowl to the boy, which he took to his 

 house. By this time he had changed his mind about becoming a 

 witch. His father said to him, "If you do not tell me where you have 

 been all night, I will lick you." So, having changed his mind, he told 

 the whole story to his father, calling liis witch friend by name. As 

 soon as he mentioned his name, his friend began to sicken. The 

 father of the boy summoned the t'aikabede (town cliief) and kumpa 

 and all the other cliiefs and told them about it. As soon as he men- 

 tioned to them the name of the witch boy, the witch boy died. They 

 buried him in the hills, not in the graveyard. 



35. Witch Wife^^ 



They were living at Shiw'iba. There was a woman who was a 

 witch, and when she went to the witch meetings she would put a corn 

 ear alongside her husband, to act in her place." A medicine man who 

 was a friend of her husband told him about her and that she wanted to 

 marry the nephew (ch'unu) of the witch cliief. That man was plan- 

 ning to kill him out hunting; but he was not to worry; he would go 

 with him and make a ceremony to save his life. They went hunting. 

 They took a donkey with them. Wlien they reached their camping 

 ground, they made a faliina (Mexican for shelter). The witch set 

 fire to the grass around them; but the medicine man who had put the 

 donkey inside the fahina stopped the fire when it reached the faliina. 

 Next day they did not himt because the mountain was all burned 

 over. They set back for town. His wife, knowing he was to be 

 burned, went into the town crying and saying her husband was dead. 

 Her husband found her crying in the house. She said somebody had 

 told her he was burned up. She prepared a dish for supper to poison 

 him. His friend had told him not to eat in his house, to go out to 

 another house for supper. She said, "Eat, my husband (insoawe). 

 You must be tired and hungry." "No, my wife (inliawe), I am 

 not hungry, I ate supper before I crossed the river." "You must be 

 tired, my husband, we better go to sleep." He crossed his arms 

 over his face, watching her. He began to snore. She said, "He is 

 asleep now." She spoke to him. He did not answer. She placed 

 the house broom next to him and said, "My mother (inkewei), you 

 are to take care of my husband and serve him." "All right, my 

 daughter (impyuwei)," the broom said. 



She dug into a wall niche and took out a pair of owl eyes; took out 

 her own eyes " and put in the owl eyes. "I am late for the meeting," 

 she said. "They will scold me." She took out with her a basket of 



" Parsons 17:61-70. 



-'Variant: Anearof black com which was to speak to the man just as his wife woxild speak. , . , When 

 he went out he took the ear with him, saying, " My wife told you to watch over me." 

 " Variant: .She hung her eyes under a beam of the hooded hearth. 



