Sacred Texts Native American Southwest Index Previous Next
At old Cochiti (Tiputse) lived a man and his wife. His name was Stilina (dance shells). His wife went for water and Sun came and stole her. Her husband didn't know where she had gone. He mourned for her and tried to follow her tracks. He was lying in a muddy place, and something crawled on his neck and spoke to him. It was Spider Woman. She said, "What are you doing here?" "I'm mourning for my wife who was stolen from me." "Don't think of her, my son, and keep wondering where your wife is. Your wife is where the sun comes up. There are two roads to that place, a new and an old. Don't follow the new road; take the old. On the new road a dangerous person will kill you. So go the old road."
He started on his journey. When he came, to the two roads, he wondered why Spider Woman had said not to go by the good road, so he took the new road. He came to the house of Whirlwind Man. He was out hunting, only his mother was at home. She set out food for her guest. He was still eating, when he heard Whirlwind Man coming. He came in. They fought. The mother tried to separate them, but Shell Man killed Whirlwind Man. His mother was frightened. She said, "Hurry, hurry, press his stomach. See if you can make him alive again." Then Shell Man pressed him, and he came to life. Then his mother said to her son, "Don't fight with this man any more, my son. It is because of Shell Man that you are alive again." She put food out again.
Whirlwind Man said to Shell Man, "I will take you where you wish to go." So he took him where Sun rises. Whirlwind Man picked him up and took him to the top of the high cliffs where his wife was. Whirlwind Man said to Shell Man, "Go over yonder, you will find her alone. Sun is out hunting." He went into Sun's house, and he found his wife grinding. She was frightened. "How did you get here, my husband? Nobody comes here, it is too dangerous." "I've come to get you. Before Sun comes home from hunting I will take you back." She got ready. They went out before Sun came home. When they got where Whirlwind was waiting, he started homeward with them.
Sun came home and the woman was gone. He shot an arrow after them but it fell to, one side. They were safe. 5 They reached Whirlwind Man's house. "We have to go on to our home," they said. They came to their own house. While they were coming along the road, Sun shot another arrow. Shell Man cried, "Hurry up, we must go faster, the man who stole you is coming after us!" [paragraph continues]
Sun was shooting. When they got to Tiputse, Sun was right behind them, but the woman was safe. Sun said to the woman, "You shall have a child and he shall be chief of this people."
70:4 Informant 3. Notes, p. 230.
70:5 Because the wife was pregnant; no man can harm a woman while she is carrying his child. See above, p. 69.