Why People Don't Live Forever
The great god Olelbis had his home in Olelpanti, high above the world. He made up his mind to send all things down to the earth to live.
From: Unknown To: 1922 C.E.
Location: Mt. Shasta, California
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From Ancient Tales From Many Lands by Rachel M. Fleming, 1922.
This story and the story of Tuina are adapted from Jeremiah Curtin's "Creation Myths of Primitive America," published 1898 by University Press, John Wilson & Son, Cambridge, U.S.A. It forms part of the Wintu Mythology. The Wintus were a stock of Indians, who, before the coming of the white men, owned and occupied all that part of California situated on the right bank of the Sacramento, from its sources near the foot of Mt. Shasta to its mouth on the northern shore of San Francisco Bay.
The great god Olelbis had his home in Olelpanti, high above the world. He made up his mind to send all things down to the earth to live. Not long afterwards a great deal of trouble broke out upon the earth, because the flints and the rattlesnakes and the grizzly bears were not behaving as they ought to do. So all the people in Olelpanti met together to discuss what they could do for the people on the earth. They talked together for five nights and five days.
On the sixth morning, Olelbis called the two brothers Hus, and told them he had a great work for them to do. He told them to go to a place called Stillwater, where the first tree was growing. When they got there, they were to find stones and pile them so as to make a road from earth to Olelpanti. Olelbis told them to make the road of very strong stone steps, each higher than the last. Half way on the road to Olelpanti, the brothers Hus were to make a place where people could spend the night, and to put clean good water there for them.
Olelbis then said, "When you have finished the whole road, people will come up out of the earth. When they grow old, they can go back to the beginning of the road made by you, and climb the steps. When they get to the water, which you have placed half-way up, they will drink of it, rest one night, and then go on climbing up to Olelpanti. I myself will put two springs of water at this end, one for them to drink from, and one for them to bathe in. After old people have bathed in one spring, and drunk from the other, they will grow young again, and go back to earth quite healthy and strong. When they grow old the second time they can climb the steps the second time, and again become young, and thus they will live for ever. When the trees, which are small now, grow large, there will be no branches except at the top, the acorns on the trees will have no shells. They will just be ready to eat without any husking or cracking. Nobody will need to climb, for the nuts will fall down ready for eating."
The two brothers set out to go and make the road. One brought stones and the other piled them up. The brothers were very strong and worked well, so that the steps soon reached the clouds. At this point, there came along an old man named Sedit. He was dressed in an otter skin, and had buckskin leggings, ornamented with shells. Sedit drew near and watched the brothers working, but they did not speak to him.
Sedit was very curious, and wanted to know what the brothers were doing, but although he asked them many questions, they took no notice at all of him. They just went on working quietly and steadily. At last Sedit grew angry and said, "If you don't come here and tell me all about what you are doing, I will spoil your work."
This threat frightened the brothers Hus, who did not want to have thedr work injured. They told Sedit that they were working for Olelbis, who had sent them down to make the road.
Sedit began to be very rude, and to say that he did not care at all for Olelbis, and that the brothers were silly to work for him. The brothers Hus did not like this, and said that they would tell him why they were making the road. Then the elder brother told him of the plan for keeping people young for ever, and for saving them trouble about the trees and the acorns.
Sedit listened and looked at them, and then he began to sneer. He said, "Do you think that is a wise plan? I don't. I will tell you what will happen. Suppose an old man does go up this road, and come down young again on the other side, he will only be lonely. Suppose an old woman goes up and comes down again young. She will only be alone, and it will be very dull just going up old and coming down young over and over again. They will never have any friends, nor any children, nor any fun in the world. I think it will be very much nicer too for the trees to have branches right down to the ground, so that men have to climb them and knock the acorns from the top with a long stick. I think that it is better for men and women to have to husk the acorns because then they can throw the husks at one another, and have some fun. When they have fun and laugh, and are pleased, they will feel well. Besides, what are the people to eat if nothing dies? Deer will not die, fish will not die, and people will have nothing to eat but acorns. I think, too, that it is nice for a man to have a wife. The man can catch the fish and kill the deer, and the woman can cook them, and they can both eat together. I think it is nice for old men and women to die, and then new babies can be born, and people can enjoy the fun of the babies. Then all the neighbours can come and look at the new baby and say, "What a nice baby." Then when an old man dies, his son can take his place, and when an old woman dies, her daughter can take her place. I think that this is the right way. All men and animals ought to grow old and die in this way. When people fight, they will use flint and kill one another, and a crowd will come to see the fighting, and that will be a pleasant excitement."
The two brothers sat there and made no answer at all. "Well, my grandsons," said Sedit, "I know that what I tell you is right. What do you think?" The brothers said nothing at first. They just sat and thought. After a while the elder looked at Sedit and said, "I believe that you are old enough and ought to know. I think that you are right, grandfather." Said the younger, "Would you like to die, and be lying on the ground, and not rise any more? You want others to die. Would you like to die yourself? Olelbis does not want anything to die, but you want everything to die. You want to spoil all the work Olelbis sent us to do."
Then the two brothers stood up and walked away. Sedit called to them to come back and talk things over again, but the two brothers did not turn back. They pulled out some great stones, and the whole road fell crashing to the earth. The two brothers then flew up higher and higher, until they reached Olelpanti.
Sedit watched them flying higher and higher, until they disappeared. Then he said, "I wish I had not said so much. I wish I had not said anything at all. I am sorry. The Hus brothers said everything on earth will have to die now, and asked me if / wanted to die. What am I to do?"
He looked round and found a plant with long, broad leaves, the wild sunflower. He found plenty of these plants, and stripped the leaves from them. He then pulled off all his fine clothes, and stuck the leaves into his body, and made a long tail of leaves. Then he thought to himself, "I will fly up to Olelpanti, and not stay here where people have to die." He rose a little way in the air, but the leaves began to get dry and break one after the other, and Sedit came whirling down to the ground, and was killed. Olelbis looked down and saw Sedit falling. "It is his own fault," said he, "he is the first to die, killed by his own words."
Fleming, Rachel M. Ancient Tales From Many Lands. Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1922.
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