IROQUOIS MYTHS AND LEGENDS 



43 



upon returning overheard the boy grieving the loss of his parents 

 and, deciding to adopt 1 him, transformed him into a Thunder 

 Hunter. Said He-no, " He has been sent to me; he is a human and 

 knows all the paths of the earth, and can render me great service. 

 There dwells in a lake a human monster that no mortal has been 

 able to kill; mv Thunderers, not being of earth, have sought him 

 in vain; and he defies me and my thunderbolts while he ravages 

 the lake of its fish, and frightening the fishers away deprives the 

 people of their food. Gun-no-do-yah, having been human, can 

 follow the trails of the earth. I will make him powerful, and give 

 him a strong bow and arrow, and he shall follow my storms when 

 my black clouds 2 shadow the lakes, and hunt the monster to its 

 death." 



Now, Gun-no-do-yah, feeling that he owed his life to He-no, 

 whose faithful Thunderer had rescued him from the water, was 

 glad to do whatever he could to evidence his gratitude, and when 

 He-no's black clouds descended to earth, he faithfully followed 

 to the lakes. 



But for many months his search was in vain. Only one lake 

 (Ontario) remained to be searched, and, thought Gun-no-do-yah, 

 " Its waters are deep and broad, it is there I will find this terrible 

 serpent." 3 So, when He-no's black clouds hung heavy over the 

 lake, obscuring the light of the sun, he stealthily approached the 

 shore, when to his delight, he beheld the monster lashing the water 

 with its great tail. 



With steady aim Gun-no-do-yah drew his bow and sent swift 

 his arrow, but before it could reach its mark, the monster had 

 vanished, leaving a trail of foam in which the arrow harmlessly 

 sank. 



1 Orphans and neglected children in Iroquoian folklore were commonly adopted by the 

 nature spirits who taught them mysteries and ceremonies. In Iroquois mythology there 

 are several stories of the adoptions by Hi"-no. 



2 The black clouds are thunder spies. 



3 The serpent is one of the O-sais'-to-wa-ne of the Senecas or O'-nia'-hri-ko'-wacf the 

 Mohawks. These creatures are divided into two tribes, the On-gwi-ias and the Jo-di"- 

 kwa-do'. Both are " underwater " people but the Ofi-gwi'-ias are evil men-devouring 

 creatures while the Jo-di"-kwa-do' are not necessarily malicious for they sometimes help 

 the distressed who may be lost on lone islands or those cast by treachery into the water 

 to drown. Both tribes however are great sorcerers and therefore hated by Hi"-no who 

 pursues them whenever they appear in daylight above the water. There are several tales 

 telling how the underwater people coaxed boys and girls away from the land and cast upon 

 them the spell by which they were adopted. They are human in form but assume the form 

 of horned serpents by dressing in snake skin garments. They have houses beneath the 

 waters and there appear as ordinary men. Their daughters are especially beautiful and 

 captured landmen at once become enamored with them and are quite willing to don the 

 shining suits (snake skins) and big feathers (horns) which make them forever Jo-di"-kwa-do'. 



