Origin of Death

[Francisc Czobor]

Klahawya wekt!

In Jacobs’ “Texts in Chinook Jargon” there are two stories, both
entitled “The Origin of Death”. One is from John Hudson, and is presented
in a footnote as a Santiam myth, the other is from Coquille Thompson from
Siletz and it results that it is an Upper Coquille Athabaskan myth. The
stories are almost identical. What does this mean: that the Santiam
Kalapuyans and the Upper Coquille Athabaskans shared mythological themes?
Or maybe this motive was circulating among several, linguistically
unrelated, but probably culturally related Native Nations of Oregon?

There is also a Chinookan myth, entitled “Origin of Ethernal Death”,
presented in English translation in E.S. Curtis’ “The North American
Indian” (vol. 8, p. 126), but this myth is different, longer and more
elaborate than those recorded by Jacobs. Thus there were several different
myths in the area, regarding the explanation of the origin of Death.

So, how is to be explained the virtual identity between the Santiam and the
Upper Coquille myths?

Hayash mersi,
Francisc

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