The Sun lived on the other side of the sky vault
but her daughter lived in the middle of the sky
directly above the Earth,and everyday
as the Sun was climbing along the sky arch
to the West she used to stop at her daughter's
house for dinner
Now the Sun hated the people on the Earth,because
they could never look straight at her without
screwing up their faces.
She said to her brother,the Moon
My grandchildren are ugly they grin all over their
faces when they look at me
But the Moon said
I like my younger brothers;I think they are handsome
because they always smile pleasantly when they saw
him in the sky at night for his rays was milder
The Sun was jealous and planned to kill
all the people,so everyday when she got near
her daughter's house she sent such sultry rays
that there was a great fever and people deid
by the hundreds,until everyone had lost friends
and there was a fear no one would be left
They went for help to the little Men
who said the only way to save themselves
was to kill the Sun.
The Little Men made medicine and changed two men
to snakes,the Spreading adder and the Copperhead
and sent them to watch near the door of the
daughter of the Sun
to bite the old Sun when she come the next day
They went together and hid near near the house
until the Sun came but when the Sprending adder
was about to spring the bright light blinded him
and he could only spit out yellow slime
as he does to this day
She called him a nasty thing and went by into the
house and the Copperhead crawled off without trying
to do anything So the people still deid from the heat
and they went to the Little Men a second time for help
The Little Men made medicine again and changed one
man into the great Ukenta and another into the Rattlesnake
and sent them to watch near the house
and to kill the old Sun when she came for dinner
They made the Uktena very large with horns on his head
and everyone thought he would be sure to do the work
but the Rattlesnake was so quick and eager that he
got ahead and coiled up just outside the house
and when the Sun's daugther opened the door to look
out for her Mother he sprang up and bit her and
she fell dead in the doorway He forgot to wait for
the old Sun but went back to the people and the
Uktena was so very angry that he went back too
Since then we pray to the Rattlesnake and do not kill him
because his kind never tries to bite if we dont disturb him
The Uktena grew angrier all the time and very dangerous
so that if he even looked at man,that man family died
After a long time the people held council and decided
that he was too dangerous to be with them so they sent
him up to Galun'lati and he is there now
The Spreading-Adder,the Copperhead,the Rattlesnake
and the Untena were all men.
When the Sun found her daugther dead she went into
the house and grieved and the people did not die
any more but now the world was dark all the time
because the Sun would not come out
They went back to the little men and they told them
if the wanted the Sun to come out again they must bring
back her daughter from Tsusgina'i the Ghost country
in Usunhi'yi the darkinening land in the West.
They chose seven men to go and gave each a sourwood rod
and hand- breadth long
The little men told them the must take a box with them
and when they got to Tsusgina'i the Ghost country
they find all the ghosts at a dance.They must stand outside
the circle and when the young woman passed in the dance
they must stike her with the rods and when fall to the ground
Then they must put into the box and bring her back
to her Mother but they must sure out to open the box
even a little way until they back at her home
They took the rods and the box and traveled seven days
to the West until they came to the land off Darkening
There were a great many people there and they were having a dance
The young woman was in the outside circle and as
and as she swung around to where the seven men were
standing one stuck her with his rod and she turn
her head and saw him As she came around the second
one stuck her and the n another and another till
the seven one stuck her and she fell out of the ring
and put her inn the box and closed the lid fast
The others ghost seemed never to notice what happened
They took the box andhead home to the East
In a little while the girl came to life again and begged
to be let out of the box but they made no answer and went on
Soon she called again and said she was hungry but still
they made no answer and went on.After awhile she pleaded so
that it was very hard to listen to her but the men who
carried the box still went on
When at last near home she called again and begged
them to raise the lid just a little she was smothering
They was afaird she was realy dying now so they
lifted the lid to give her air but as they did so
there was a fluttering sound inside and something
fly past them into the thickets and they heard a
redbird cry Kwish! Kwish! Kwish!in the bushes
They slid the closed again and went on to the settlement
but when got ther and open the box it was empty
So we the the Redbird isthe daughter of the Sun
And if the men would keep the box closed as the the Little Men
told them to do they brought her home safely and we bring others back
fromGhost town but now when they die we can never bring them back
The Su was glad when started to Ghost town but when came back
without her daughter she grieves and cried
My Daughter My Daughter and wept until tears made a flood
upon the Earth and people was afaird the world would drowned
They held anothe council and sent their handsomest
couple to amuse her so that she stop crying
They danced before the Sun and sang their best songs
but for long time she keep her face covered and paid
no attention until at last the drimmer suddenly
changed the song when lift up her face and was so
pleased at the sight that forget her grief and smiled
as told by James Mooney
