Oglala Sun Dance: Narratives: The Death of Iya

THE DEATH OF IYA.

(Told by Hoka-chatka.)

Many people were camped on a creek for a feast. On one side of the camp was a large red lodge and on the other, a large yellow lodge. One day, a man came running and told them that Iya was lying asleep not far away up the creek. The people were much excited. Some ran about and others gathered in the center of the camp and all were badly seared.

Iktomi appeared wearing his coonskin robe and inquired why they were so much excited. They told him that Iya lay asleep not far away. Iktomi said he would go and find him and trick him, but some of the people told him not to go lest Iya eat him. But others told him to go, for they hoped that Iya would eat Iktomi and they would get rid of him in this way. So he went up the creek and gathered a great lot of clam shells. He went on and found Iya asleep. When Iya breathed he inhaled dirt and dust and everything that was movable near him. While Iktomi looked at him, Iya awoke and saw him and said, "Ho, my younger brother, I am hungry and my meal will be small this time." Iktomi said, "Ho, my younger brother; I am hungry and my meal will be small, for I am so hungry that I could eat ten like you."

Then Iya opened his mouth to yawn and Iktomi saw many people moving about in his stomach and he said, "When I eat people they do not play in my stomach. That would disturb me. You swallow people and they are amused and play about in your stomach." Iya said, "I will eat you and see if you will play in my stomach." Iktomi said, "Why eat me when I am so small? I will show you a large number of people and we will both have a good meal."

Iya. agreed to this, but Iktomi said, "Why do you call me 'younger brother'?" Iya said, "Because I am older than you." Iktomi said, "Let us tell when each was born and then we can tell which is the younger brother." Iya agreed. Iktomi said, "You tell me when you were born and then I will tell when I was born," Iya agreed. Iya said, "When the earth was made that was the first. When the sky was made that was the second. Then I was made the third." Iktomi said, "I first made the earth and then I made the sky. Then I was tired and wanted to make some little foolish thing, so I made you. I did not intend to make you so foolish, for you have been crazy ever since I made you."

Then Iya opened his mouth to eat Iktomi, but Iktomi threw clamshells down his throat making Iya cough. While he was coughing Iktomi said, "I found this big camp of the people near here. There were so many that I could not eat them, so I was looking for someone to help me. You had better come with me and have a good meal, for if you should eat me you could never find these people."

So Iktomi said, "Ho, my younger brother, you must obey me, for I am the older." Iya agreed. Then Iktomi said, "Let us tell each other the things we most fear, and what will kill us and what will destroy us." Iya agreed. Iktomi said, "I am the older and you must tell me first." So Iya told him that he was most afraid of drums, flutes, and medicine rattles; that when he heard these he was paralyzed, so that if anyone struck his head at that time it would crush his skull and kill him, and that if he were placed on a fire he would burn and be destroyed. Then Iktomi told Iya that he was afraid of the same things and could be killed and destroyed in the same way.

They had come to a wood and Iktomi said to Iya, "Wait here and I will go and spy on the people. When I come back we will go together and eat them. Iya, waited in the wood and Iktomi went to the people and told them to get drums and fifes, medicine rattles, warclubs and stone hatchets, and hide themselves in a gap in the hills. He told them that when he brought. Iya through the gap they should beat the drums , blow the flutes, and sound the rattles and when Iya fell, to rush up and strike his skull with the clubs and stone hatchets and they would kill him. The people did as Iktomi told them. He went to Iya and reported that the people were all in their tipis. Iya began to run to the camp and as he passed him, Iktomi struck him with a stone knife, but this did not injure Iya. Iktomi was afraid that Iya had fooled him and that he could not be killed, so he called to him, "Hold on my younger brother, I am the older and I should eat first." Iya said, "You are fooling me. There are no people. You only want to get away from me." Iktomi said, "Come with me and I will show you the camp."

He took him to the gap in the hills and showed him the camp, but Iya said he did not see any people. Iktomi said they were in the tipis, but to make sure that they were there he would go and look, and when he found anyone in a tipi, he would wave his coonskin robe. So Iya stayed in the gap and Iktomi went to the camp. He looked in the first tipi and waved his robe. Then he went to the next, looked in, and waved his robe. He went to every tipi, looked in, and waved his robe. When he looked in the last tipi he was far away from Iya, for he was afraid that the people would not kill him, and he wanted to be as far as possible from him so that if he were not killed he could escape from him.

When he waved his robe at the last tipi, Iya came running through the gap in the hills. When he came near the people hidden there, they beat the drums, and blew the flutes and sounded the medicine rattles and Iya fell down, paralyzed- Then the people ran to him and struck his skull with clubs and stone hatchets and crushed it and killed Iya. When Iktomi saw that Iya was killed he came to the people and told them to put the body on a fire. They did so and the body burned like pitch pine. In this way, Iya was killed and destroyed and he has not troubled the people since that time.