Hupa traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by Na:tinixwe', commonly known as the Hupa and the Chilula and Whilkut triblets of the Trinity River basin in northwestern California. [1] Today, may tribal members reside on the federally recognized Hoopa Valley Reservation [2] in Humboldt County, California. The population on the reservation was recorded to be 2,287 in the 2023 census. [3]
The oral literature of the Hupa is markedly similar to that of their linguistically unrelated neighbors, the Karuk and Yurok. It differs from the traditional narratives of most California groups, but shows stronger links with the Northwest Coast region of North America. [4]
In Tcōxōltcwediñ (myth-place), Yīmantūwiñyai ("the one who is lost across the ocean") [6] manifested from the earth while smoke covered the land; he made fire. Kīxûnai manifested, and Yīmantūwiñyai released the deer from one and the salmon eel, and surfish from a women, beginning the Klamath River in the process.
Following the river, he failed to trick some women, but formed the lake in the process. Yīmantūwiñyai then found someone planning to cut into a woman, but he decided that birth will come from the uterus, resembling the net-sack grown around his quiver.
Going south, he distributed baskets along the river then headed towards Bald Hill, terriforming the land to create knolls, dams, and ridges. Because the people were too loud, birds were dropping dead and a cloud rose. Yīmantūwiñyai stated that a disease was coming, so he terraformed the dancing grounds; the Kīxûnai danced until the cloud retreated, then they danced for five more days as it went back. They danced for another five days in the house by jumping.
Continuing on, Yīmantūwiñyai encountered four blind, old mean tricking people into death and killing them, so he used the same trick to kill them He declared that people must be able to travel safely and not eat or kill others. Walking along, he heard found laughing soaproots (Chlorogalum) scattered around a fire. They kept trying to push him into the fire, so he threw them into the fire, declaring that they become food and not kill people.
Walking on, Yīmantūwiñyai came across three women carrying loads, so he asked for some food. He defecated and said to the feces to become Yurok. Yīmantūwiñyai then ate the rest of the food to create every kind of language--Karok, Yurok, Shasta, Tolowa, Mad River, Southfork, New River, and Red Wood.
Continuing south, Yīmantūwiñyai found a house where a kinaʟdûñ (with first menses) girl who fed him some nuts, which made him thirsty. When the girl left to fetch him some water, Yīmantūwiñyai tricked her, so he ate all of her food and escaped southward. Returning to her home, she wished for the creeks to dry up ahead of him. Yīmantūwiñyai sought out creeks five times, but they dried up each time until he heard a bull frog croaking where he finally could drink from the lake.
Unable to get up, he begged the buzzards to pick his stomach open, which they did, so Yīmantūwiñyai was able to get up and fell asleep in a hollow tree. The tree had grew over him while he slept, so he was eventually freed by two birds. Yīmantūwiñyai then made a bill for buzzard, then he made the largest woodpecker, crow, eagle, yellowhammer, little wood pecker, and all other birds fly.
Wishing for a dog, Yīmantūwiñyai defecated and said to the feces to become a dog. Approaching a house of blue-stone, a "lion" (mythical Hupa being described similar to a lion) laid on top of it. The host of the house ordered the dogs to fight, so they fought the next day, chasing each other into the sky. The lion dropped dead and Yīmantūwiñyai's dog returned. The dogs had been fighting towards the south at the edge of the world, and Yīmantūwiñyai noticed smoke rising, indicating that the "Indians" were coming.
Heading up north, he found the Kīxûnai preparing to leave to the world aross the northward ocean. Yīmantūwiñyai wondered how the world will be with the "Indians," so he set out to measure the world to ensure that they will be able to live for generations without overcrowding. Heading west, the Maiyōtel (mythical beings) made intentions to thwart Yīmantūwiñyai's plans, so they distracted him with a woman who caught and dragged him away. Failing to renew the "Indian's" lives, Yīmantūwiñyai returned to the south of Big Lagoon where he pleaced a sweat-house for them to dance if anything goes wrong with the ocean.
Yīmantūwiñyai returned to his birthplace, Xoñxauwdiñ where the jealous man lived. Yīmantūwiñyai entered his house with elder sticks down his throat, so the man shot him in the mouth with a xoñxauwdiñ (poisoned) arrow, causing disorientation. Yīmantūwiñyai came to his senses under a pepperwood tree, removed the items from his throat, and he found an herb (Hypericum scouleri) to put in his mouth which became medicine.
Returning to Tcōxōltcwediñ, he saw a man and women grown had grown in different locations around the land. Heading south to ʟeldiñ, the "Indians" had come into existence.
In Xonteʟtcitdiñ, Yīmantūwiñyai sat to smoke his pipe and watched someone fishing in the distance. The man went up stream, crossed the river, and disappeared. Searching for the man, Yīmantūwiñyai removed his belt and struck the water to see below, where he saw someone sitting with fire. Yīmantūwiñyai spoke to him but no response, so he threw the man into the fire. The man burned up, and he retrieved salmon heart, built a fire, cooked it, and ate it.
Heading to the southern world's edge, he found bluejay, and woman who would become Wintūn, had grown. Addressing him as her nephew, bluejay remarked on all the kinds of people that grew at the places he past and asked if he ate alongside them, which he did.
Yīmantūwiñyai traveled more. Feeling sleepy, he slept beside the trail and awoke feeling heavy, unable to move, and had a swollen belly. Beside him, redwood sorrel had grown, so he chewed it and got cured. He got up and decided it to be the "Indian's" medicine. Yīmantūwiñyai returned to Tcōxōltcwediñ to spend the night. The next day, Yīmantūwiñyai went across the ocean to the north where he left the mortal realm and declared to his grandmother that he had made medicines for "Indians."