parsons] tales of witchcraft 439 



38. The Hunter's Hair Cut 



Natoai, some years ago, a man used to go out hunting every day 

 and he used to bring rabbits in the evening and his wife used to come 

 out and meet him. She was happy to see him coming back with the 

 rabbits. He was glad to have his wife run to meet him. She would 

 say to him, "My husband (nsoawe), you are lucky (akamoai)! 

 Kiirkem, korkem! Thanks, thanks!" She would have her husband 

 rest a while inside. Then she began to ask him how he got along out 

 hunting. He said, "Why, I was all right on my way hunting." 

 "Now I will give you supper." She gave him rabbit stew and atole 

 (kweri).^* When he finished eating, he thanked his wife, and thanked 

 for all he had got that day. Then the woman began to scold him. 

 " I do not see why you do not go deer hunting. Every day you bring 

 the same thing." Then he said, "Why are you scolding me? Don't 

 you get enough to eat?" "Yes, I get enough to eat, but I want some 

 other kind of meat, and I want you to hunt deer." Then she met 

 another woman and they talked about sending their men out to hunt 

 deer. Those two hunters were honest and good men. Those two 

 women were meeting two other boys. They said when they met, 

 "Let us get the two men out of the way. One of us will turn bear, 

 the other turn mountain lion." The next day when the men went 

 out, they saw two deer. "Let us go after them, our wives are wait- 

 ing for deer meat." They had gone out happy, singing, with their 

 bow and arrows. When they saw the deer, one went on one side of 

 the two deer, one on the other. The two deer whistled when they 

 saw the men. "Did you hear that?" "Yes." "What do you 

 think about it?" "I think they are not the kind of deer we are 

 looking for. Shall we let them go?" "Yes." It was almost sun- 

 down. When they were coming to the plaza their wives started 

 out to meet them. The men looked sad, because they had not 

 killed anything. In their houses their wives said, "You killed 

 nothing?" "No, I had no luck to-day. Maybe to-morrow." 



When the daylight came he said to his wife, "Wrap me up some 

 wafer bread (pakushore)." He put red paint (pari) on his face, he 

 started with bow and arrows, ' ' Now I am going to stand like a man 

 to-day." Then he saw the same deer he saw the day before. The 

 deer whistled. The sun set and he turned back. When he got back, 

 she came out to meet him and scolded him for not killing anything. 

 Then he said, "There is something wrong in me. I am going to 

 work to see what is wrong in me. Now you wash my hair." She 

 said, "You want your hair washed and you haven't killed a deer 

 yet!" "Maybe if you wash my hair, I will kill a deer," he said. 

 "I am going over to my friend and invite him to go hunting with me 



* Corn flour and water. 



