[Idah Meacham Strobridge, The Happy Hunting Ground: A Piute Doctrine, The Land of Sunshine, June 1899]

 

THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUND                21

 

THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUND.

A PIUTE DOCTRINE,

BY IDAH MEACHAM STROBRIDGE.

            WHERE Piutey go when them git dead ? I no know. I never see. I just hear somebody talk ; tell um what kind 'nother place he go bime by when he heap git die. That's all. I never not see that place. Who tell um me ? Oh, that dead men sometimes he come back, he talk. Him come in the night ; in night time him come. That's way he do. Just night.

            Well, this way : over there pretty far up in sky somewhere —pretty long far—is big country. Heap good country. Lots rivers. River all got um fish. All kind Piutey fish. Trout —chub ; that kind. No got carp. Piutey no like um that kind. No got um that kind in that 'nother country. Lots creeks ; lots rivers. High mountain ; good many big—high ! Plenty deer—antelope—mountain sheep. Lots. Lots rabbits too. Good place for hunt ; can hunt all time, never no kill um all, everything.

            Lots grass, tules ; trees ; all that kind thing. Lots good flowers. No got ranch there that white man ; no white men come that place. No fence ; no house ; no that way. Just

22        LAND OF SUNSHINE.

good country, that's all. No alkali flats ; no got nothin' bad. Just good all time ; just good thing.

            Nobody fight ; men he no never die. No never lie—steal—no git mad. Men he no git drunk ; no git tired. Him never work ; never. Just smoke—catch um fish—plenty dance—shoot um deer ; that 's all, you know. Sometimes have big hunt ; heap big hunt ; sometimes have heap big dance. Git um pine nuts up in mountain.

            When Piutey die he git go that country pretty quick. 'Bout one night, all 'lone, he go. He fly, go there. He git that country he quit fly, he walk ; just walk then. Clothes ? No, he no take clothes when he leave here—just take hat, that 's all. May be.

            Over there that country he wear buckskin clothes ; wimin too wear um. Plenty beads ; moccasins too. Got um good moccasin. All men—all that wimin wear hair heap long. All um got long hair. Everybody he paint um face. Chief, them got some feather in hair. No got hat, them chief. Chiefs them got more better things than other Piutey. Them got um four—may be five wives. 'Nother Piutey got just one wife ; that's all.

            When die—when go to that country—everybody git be young men, young wimin again. Everybody young man ; everybody young wimin. Everybody, he young. How that way ? I no know. Just that way ; that what I think. Maybe old men he die here ; he git go that 'nother country, quick—heap quick—right away he git to be young man again. That 's good, I think. Never git tired. Boy—girl—little papoose, he die here this country, he git go that other place he big men —big wimin right away pretty quick. He never stay children that place. No children there. No grow slow like here. No that way. Grow git big one day. One day he git big wimin —big men when he die. Children he die—old men he die, just same ; when he git go that country he be young men—young wimin. Never no old men—no children live there. Just be young all time ; all time he young. That 's way he do, stay young all time.

            Never go 'way ; just live there all time. All time. All time. You sabe that? Not same like here. Never die. That place he never git die ; he never quit, never. I no know how he fix um that way never quit. He just do that way ; never no more die.

            Men go that pretty far country he find um all family pretty quick. Father, mother, children, all um he find um. He find um there right away. Got um camp all together just same like here.

            Got one big boss that country. I guess he that same old man I tell you 'bout. The old man first he father everybody

THE HAPPY HUNTING GROUND.   23

b'long Pintey and Bannock. Him big boss. Big chief. Him take care all them Injins.

            That country b'long to all kind Injins ? No ; that just for Piutey—for just Bannock—some Shoshone, may be. Piutey let them Shoshone stay there. All other kind Injin—all white men stay outside that country. They live far over by the edge of that place. No can come inside that good country in where Piutey and Bannock live.

            White men live close ? Yas. That what I think. That what other Piutey tell um me. White men no live inside; just out by the edge. I guess so. You sabe this ? White men may be he die ; he got git go somewhere. Where he go ? I think he go that same place by the outside. Not inside where Piutey stay ; not there just outside. Rabbit—horse—deer—everything he git go somewhere when he die. Him all go to that other country I guess. I just think so. Piutey live inside by middle that place. Deer—horse—rabbit—Bannock Injin too ; may be some Shoshone live inside. All um other kind—'nother kind Injin, white men all live just by outside.

            That good place. Heap good. You bet ! Everything git new all time. Nothin' never git be old. Everything plenty ; plenty everything all time. Everybody got good horse. Heap good ; gentle. Horse that kind run fast; no buck.

            No, no use um money that place. Nobody come find um gold rocks in mountain. Not that way do there. That way no good. Nobody rich that country—nobody that country be poor. Just got 'nough ; that 's all. Just got 'nough. No work ; just have good time. Everybody got just same kind everything. May be chief got some little more ; just chief. That 's way do that place.

            All um live in wick-ee-up same like here. All um use bow —arrow ; just same like long time ago. No use um gun no more. Never.

            Piutey over by inside that country he git white skin all time. Just same like white men. That 's way he look when he git die.

            Wear um clothes white men kind there ? May be some he do that way. Not all. Some he do. Some he no wear um. Do just what way he like when he go there. That 's way he do.

            May be Injin live pretty close by that edge where white men live, he wear um that kind clothes. May be he live in middle that good place where all um Piutey live, there that place he no wear um. That 's way, I think. Out edge that place close by white men, there find um knife—pan—clothes—plenty thing, all same white men make um. 'Nother Piutey no use um. 'Nother Pintey just got um buckskin clothesbeads—that kind things; all same Injin make um.

24        LAND OF SUNSHINE.

            Never eat white men grub, same way like he do here. Never. Just eat Injin grub. That 's way he do when die.

            Got um all summer—all same winter ? You bet ! Just same kind like here. Winter, summer ; day, night. All same.

            How I know that way ? My father tell um me. Who tell um my father ? Oh, I guess grandfather. How he know ? I no know. I just think this way ; dead men—dead wimin come back when dark, tell um 'bout that kind place. No, I never see dead men come talk. I never see. Plenty old men see ; plenty old men tell um me. Dead men sometimes come when dark ; come talk that kind. He come just when night ; never come when day. Just come look 'round, see how this country look. He no stay here. Just dark night he come ; go back pretty quick.

            No, he no like this country no more when he git die. That 'nother kind place more better. Heap good. By that 'nother country everybody go bime by. Everybody stay there then. This place burn up when everybody git go 'way. That 's what I think. Everybody git go to that 'nother country, stay all time. Stay there live all time. Never git die. Never. All time stay there. That 's what I think. Old men tell um me that way.

            Humboldt, Nevada.