Title: La leyenda de las víboras y la lumbre

General information about the item:

• Myth
• Language: Spanish
• Country of Origin: México
• Informant: B.G.
• Date Collected: 20 May 2020

Informant Data: B.G. was born on May 20, 1974 in Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo, México. He is 3^rd generation Otomí. He learned about his culture from his grandparents and parents.

Contextual Data: The piece of folklore that BG shared was a story his grandparents shared with him which they assured him was true. BG mentioned that as a child he and his family members would sit outside and listen to stories about Otomí culture that his grandparents would share. He states that the story has impacted him emotionally because first, he didn’t know whether to believe it or not, but he did choose to believe it because his grandparents said it was true. He felt he needed to share the story to pass along his culture. This particular story he shared was about magical snakes and fire which guides people to treasures buried in the ground. Note: B.G. was given information about the collection project and how the purpose was to collect folklore on indigenous plant and animal origin myths. Although this is not an origin myth, this is the myth B.G. chose to share about his Otomí culture.

Item:

“Hay otras historias, y eso sí se han transmitido, no se si tu sepas que los antepasados no gastaban el dinero, siempre lo tenían guardado o lo tenían enterrado. ¿sí ha escuchado eso? Y han pasado muchos casos allá en el pueblo que se han encontrado dinero y la gente no sabe cómo sacarlo. Y el dinero tiene– [B.G. hace mociones con sus manos para emfasis], ya ves que está enterado, tiene mucho como, sucre, o no sé lo que tiene, adentro, pero está todo ahí. ¿Imagínese cuánto tiempo está enterrado? Y a la hora de abrirlo todo el olor, ellos lo absorben. Entonces la gente que lo saca casi normalmente se enferma y se mueren. Ya me ha tocado mucho en mi pueblo, como una vez, era un niño yo creo, tendría como unos 14 o 15 años, los papás de él se encontraron dinero, pero ellos, los papás, no lo quisieron sacar. Entonces mandaron al niño que lo sacara– el dinero. Entonces a la hora de abrir, eran ollas de barros, a la hora de sacarlo y abrir la tapa, todo el olor se le, se le transmitió. Entonces el muchacho se enfermó y se murió. Quedó bien seco, seco, seco y al final se murió. Y todo el dinero se quedó con el papá y los hermanos y el pobre muchacho se murió. Y esto pasó en mi pueblo. Pero últimamente la gente ya sabe, entonces van y investigan primero y ya saben qué hacer. Entonces ya usan más, como equipos, como ropa para que no pueda entrar o cubre bocas con el oxígeno, y no sé qué tanto, para que no respires todo lo que se suelta. No sé si sepas, pero si ves una víbora y bien grande y como que te anda viendo y de repente así que la ves, como que te está dando una señal de que ahí está el dinero. O si ves que algo se está quemando y no es cierto, cómo lumbre, pero no se está quemando nada, o sea, eso significa que ahí hay dinero. Le voy a decir un caso. Mi esposa cuando tendría unos 8 o 9 años, ella miró. Y como nosotros somos del mismo pueblo, ahí del cerro, del monte. Entonces ella andaba así en el cerro y [ella] mira una víbora, pero bien grandota, y con diseños de monedas y se sorprendió. Pero ella no sabía de qué se trataba, y ya hasta que fue y llegó a su casa le platicó a su abuelita y a su mamá. Y ella le dijo, ¡‘qué, pues, te estaba diciendo que ahí había dinero!’ Y sí pasó tiempo y cuando se dieron cuenta, habían sacado un barril de allí de donde estaba ahí la víbora.” * Note this is transcribed exactly as it was spoken to me during the interview, including grammatical errors.

English Translation; the brackets signify edits made for clarity, i.e. [edited for clarity]:

“There are other stories, that [have] been [told], I do not know if you know that the ancestors did not spend [their] money, they always kept it, or buried it. Have you heard that? And many cases have happened where money has been found and people don’t know how to get it out. And the money has–, [motions with his hands], you see, it was buried, it has a lot of like, sucre [toxic particles], I don’t know what it called, inside, but it’s all there. Imagine how long [it has been] buried? And when it comes to opening it, all the smell, they [the people who discover the money] absorb it [the toxic particles]. So, the people who take it out almost always get sick and die. It has happened a lot in my town. Like once, there was a kid, I think he was about 14 or 15 years old, and his parents found money, but they, the parents, did not want to take it out. So, they sent the boy to take it out, – the money. So, when it was time to take out the money, [it was kept in] clay barrels when it was time to take it out and open the lid, all the odor was passed on to [him]. So, the boy got sick and died. He became very dry, dry, dry and in the end, he died. And all the money stayed with the parents and the brothers and the poor boy died. And this happened in my town. But lately, people already know, so they go and investigate first and they already know what to do [if they believe money is buried]. So, they use more protective equipment, such as protective clothing [where] it [the toxic particles] cannot enter or masks with oxygen and I don’t know what else, so that you do not breathe anything [toxic] which is released. I do not know if you know, but if you see a viper and it is very big and it looks like it is looking at you and suddenly you see it; it is giving you a sign that the money is there. Or if you see that something is burning and it is not true, like a fire, but nothing is burning, that means that there is money [there]. I’m going to tell you a case. My wife, when she was about 8 or 9 years old, she saw it [as in she saw a magical snake]. We are from the same town, there from the hill, from the mountains [in Ixmiquilpan Hidalgo México]. So, she was walking on the hill and she sees a viper, a very big viper with coin designs, and she was surprised. But she did not know what this meant until she arrived at her house and she talked to her grandmother and her mother. And her grandmother told her, ‘What the snake was telling you was that there was money there!’ And some time passed and by the time they realized it, [someone] had taken a barrel from [the spot] where the viper was. ”

Notes about the item:

Notes on the item: B.G. referred to the mysterious toxic particles which were released upon opening the buried money barrels as “sucre”. Sucre, in Spanish, translates “coin, penny or cent”, but what BG was referring to was the toxic particles that are found in buried and confined places that get released through decomposition. He did not know what these particles were called and called them sucre. This may be an error because sucre directly translates money, but he was referring to were the toxins released when a buried item is uncovered.

Additionally, our project was to collect origin myths related to the Otomí culture, but B.G. relayed this piece of folklore instead. Not wanting to disrespect him, I still collected the myth. B.G. said he didn’t know a lot about the Otomí culture, except for what his parents and grandparents told him as a child and what he himself has experienced, and could only say as much since he is 3rd generation Otomí. But, and I quote, “I assure you this is true”. B.G. has a lot of respect for his culture and made sure to let me know he was proud of his indigenous heritage. B.G. also spoke to me in Otomí and taught me some phrases, such as, “Jamadi”, which means thank you. The interview was conducted in Spanish, as this was the language B.G. was most comfortable speaking in, and I then translated the text to English making edits for clarity using square brackets. However, his Spanish was not perfect and contained various grammatical errors which I corrected when translating to English.

Collector’s name: Rosa Mendoza

Tags/keywords:

• Myth
• Snake
• Otomí

Title: Las brujas que le chupan la sangre a los niños o los recién nacidos

General information about the item:

• Myth
• Language: Spanish
• Country of Origin: México
• Informant: B.G.
• Date Collected: 20 May 2020

Informant Data: B.G. was born on May 20, 1974 in Ixmiquilpan, Hidalgo, México. He is 3^rd generation Otomí. He learned about his culture from his grandparents and parents.

Contextual Data: The piece of folklore that BG shared was a story his grandparents shared with him which they assured him was true. BG mentioned that as a child he and his family members would sit outside and listen to stories about Otomí culture that his grandparents would share. He states that the story has impacted him emotionally because first, he didn’t know whether to believe it or not, but he did choose to believe it because his grandparents said it was true. He felt he needed to share the story to pass along his culture. This particular story he shared was about witches, which his grandparents encountered, who would suck the blood from babies and newborns, killing them. Note: B.G. was given information about the collection project and how the purpose was to collect folklore on indigenous plant and animal origin myths. Although this is not an origin myth, this is the myth B.G. chose to share about his Otomí culture.

Item:

“Bueno me contaban los abuelitos, pero según que, si pasaban en la vida real, acerca de unas señoras ya ancianas que en la noche salían, según ellos, se sentaban en la lumbre y, alrededor de la lumbre hay unos tipos de piedra que se llaman fogón. Y entonces ahí se sentaban, se quitaban de la rodilla para abajo, [apuntó a su rodilla y para abajo a los pies], y salían en la noche para chuparle la sangre a los bebés. A los recién nacidos. Según era lo que me contaban. Mucha gente cuando se daba cuenta, las señoras, o las, les decían brujas, no vivían en el pueblo, sino venían de otros pueblos. ¿Sí me entiende? Entonces, la gente ya se daba cuenta y cuando se daba cuenta– normalmente ellas siempre salían en la noche, en la noche. Entonces cuando llegaban, los señores, los abuelitos, este, se ponían de acuerdo, y ellos miraban a donde se iban a sentar, porque según ellos, se sentaban arriba de la casa en busca de los recién nacidos. Entonces los abuelitos se daban cuenta y ellos iban y se zafaban los calzones. En esos tiempos se usaban calzones de manta. Entonces ellos iban y zafaban los calzones y los volteaban. Entonces, la bruja ya no podía, o la señora ya no podía regresar al lugar de donde venían. Que, porque eso era una creencia qué con quitarse los calzones y voltearlos y déjarlos ahí al lado, que ellos ya no podían levantarse y regresarse a la casa de dónde venían. Entonces, este, ellas suplicaban que no hicieran eso. Que les dejarán regresar de dónde venían. Pero los abuelitos decían, “Sí te vamos a, te vamos a regresar las piernas, digamos así. Pero con una condición de que ya no te queremos volver a ver acá en nuestro pueblo.” Porque, ellas, según, ya después del amanecer, antes de salir el sol, ellas ya no podían regresar. Entonces tenía que ser antes de amanecer. Mhm. Antes de amanecer. Mucha gente cuando se daban cuenta de eso–, también la gente le ponían unas tijeras o un cuchillo abajo de la almohada del bebé, de la cabeza del bebé. Según eso, no sé si serán creencias, pero con eso, según, no les hacían nada a los bebes. Pero si la, la, señora o la bruja, [unintelligble], que no, no le hacía nada al niño. Sí. Y sí, dicen que sí hubo muchos casos en el pueblo. Que al otro día encontraban al niño a un lado a la mamá ya muertos. Y que sí, como veían que venían las luces. Ellas traían unas luces que se prendían y se apagaban y se prendían y se apagaban. Entonces la gente ya sabía. Dicen que sí, que mucha gente, con muchas de las señoras, sí los agarraron.” * Note this is transcribed exactly as it was spoken to me during the interview, including grammatical errors.

English Translation; the brackets signify edits made for clarity, i.e. [edited for clarity]:

“Well my grandparents told me, [that] according to [them], [it] happened in real life, about old ladies who came out at night, according to [them], they, [the old ladies], sat on the fire and, around the fire there are some types of stone that they are called a fogón. And then they would sit there, take [their legs] off from the knee down, [B.G. pointed at his knee and down on his feet], and [would] go out at night to suck the blood from the babies. Newborns. [This is] what they told me. Many people when they realized, [who the ladies were], the ladies, or the–, they called [them] witches, did not live in the town but came from other towns. [Do] you understand me? So, people noticed and when they did – [the witches would] usually go out at night. So, when they arrived, the gentlemen, my grandparents, agreed and looked [for the location] where they [the witches] were going to perch, because according to them, they [the witches] sat [on top of] houses looking for the newborns. Then when my grandparents noticed [the witches], and they [would go] and [take] their undergarments [take the witches’ undergarments]. In those times mantas were used. So, they would go and undo the breeches and turn them over. Then, the witches could no longer return to where they came from. Because that was the belief, [that when you] take off the undergarments and turn them over and leave [them] there, that they [the witches] could no longer get up and go back to where they came from. So, they [the witches] begged [B.G.’s grandparents] not to do that. [So B.G.’s grandparents stated] that they [would] let them [the witches] return to where they came from. And his grandparents said, “Yes, we are going to return your legs. But on the condition that we no longer want to see you here in our town.” Because, according to them, after sunrise, they [the witches] could no longer return [to their place of origin]. So, [this interrogation] had to be before dawn. Mhm. Before dawn. A lot of people [would] also put scissors or a knife under the baby’s pillow, [near] the baby’s head. With that, according to [B.G.’s grandparents], they [the witches] did nothing to the babies. [By placing the knives or scissors under the newborns’ pillows they would stop the witches and nothing would happen to the babies]. Yes. And yes, they say that there were many cases in my town. That the next day [the townspeople would find] the child next to the mother, dead. And yes, they [the townspeople] saw the lights coming [alerting the townspeople of the arrival of the witches]. They [the witches] brought lights with them that went on and off and on and off. Then people knew [that the witches were coming]. They say yes, that many people had encounters with the witches and did kill them. [As in many people did encounter the witches and they did kill the babies, although some people would stop them].”

Notes about the item: B.G. referred to the subjects of his story as both “old ladies” and “the witches” and used both titles interchangeably. Additionally, our project was to collect origin myths related to the Otomí culture, but B.G. relayed this piece of folklore instead. Not wanting to disrespect him, I still collected the myth. Additionally, B.G. said he didn’t know a lot about the Otomí culture, except for what his parents and grandparents told him as a child and what he himself has experienced, and could only say as much since he is 3rd generation Otomí. But, and I quote, “I assure you this is true”. B.G. has a lot of respect for his culture and made sure to let me know he was proud of his indigenous heritage. B.G. also spoke to me in Otomí and taught me some phrases, such as, “Jamadi”, which means thank you. The interview was conducted in Spanish, as this was the language B.G. was most comfortable speaking in, and I then translated the text to English making edits for clarity using square brackets. However, his Spanish was not perfect and contained various grammatical errors which I corrected when translating to English.

Collector’s name: Rosa Mendoza

Tags/keywords:

• Myth
• Witches
• Otomí

Title: How the Bear lost his Tail

General information about the item:

• Myth
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: C.W.
• Date Collected: 26 May 2020

Informant Data:

C.W. was born in Sioux Saint Marie in the Upper Peninsula Michigan and is a member of the Bay Mills Indian Community and which is a band of Ojibwe people.

Contextual Data: C.W. told me that this is a story she heard through her mom. It was significant to her personally because she is Bear Clan and, in her clan, there is a kinship relationship between humans and bears in her culture. She stated that “Bears are supposed to be like protectors and healers in my culture.” She first learned about the story when she was a teenager. She wasn’t sure about the circumstances for where the story was told but she found about the story by asking her mom questions about her culture. She did mention that her people are very seasonal and so usually stories such as these are told in the winter because different seasons have different activities associated with each season. She stated, “Summer would be for picking berries and fishing, in the fall you would be harvesting maple syrup, the winter you would tell stories and, in the spring there was usually jobs to do and that’s why winter is a good time for stories.”

Item: “Long, long ago there were only creatures on the Earth, and there were birds, bears, deer, and mice everything but people. And this time long ago, all the animals spoke the same language and just like people they play tricks on one another. They also helped each other, so it was with all the animals. One day, in the winter, when the lakes were frozen, but before the winter’s, but before the winter was upon us, Bear was walking along the lakeshore. When he was walking, he came upon the Otter sitting near a fishing hole with a pile of fish. ‘You’ve got a big pile of fish there,’ Bear said. ‘How did you get those fish?’ But instead of telling him how he drove into the water and caught the fish, Otter decided to trick the Bear. You see back then Bear had a very long, bushy tail, and he was proud of his tail and all the animals knew it. ‘The way I catch my fish is by putting my tail in the ice hole.’ Otter explained. ‘I wiggle around once in a while, so the fish see it. When a fish bites into my tail, I quickly pulled out of the water.’ ‘That sure is an easy way to catch fish!’ Bear said. ‘Do you mind if I use your fishing hole?’ Otter, laughing behind the Bear’s back said, ‘I have enough fish. Use my fishing hole, as long as you like.’ Then Otter picked up his fish and walked away. Bear carefully poked his tail into the ice hole and waited. He waited and waited. Once in a while, he’d wiggle his tail so the fish could see it. Bear waited until the sun began to set, but not one fish even nibbled at his tail. At last, he decided to go home, but when he tried to stand up, his tail had frozen into the ice. He couldn’t move. He pulled and pulled at his tail, but it was stuck tight. Finally, he pulled with all his strength, and half his tail ripped off. Now you know why the bear has a short tail. And remember, don’t always believe what people tell you.”

Collector’s name: Rosa Mendoza

Tags/keywords:

• Myth
• Bear
• Ojibwe