Our Origin Stories

Please Note:
This text was compiled and prepared by Matthew Ambers, Mayana Slobodian, and Rande Cook, with assistance from Maxine Matilpi, William Wasden Jr, and Stan Hunt Jr.

This document is preliminary and is not considered complete. If you see something in here that you disagree with, or you would like to add something, please reach out to us!

How the Ma’Amtagila got the Hamatsa

From the notes of George Hunt, 1930s

“Formerly the Madłibe tribe had no Hamatsa. Only the Ha̱mdza̱mt̕sa̱s they had as the other tribe had them. And the other tribes would not allow them to obtain a Hamatsa dance through marriage. And Makwala or moon who is the Head chief of the Madłibe tribe and his Brother whose name is Hex·sɛᴇlesela or cuts a Head off clean [??]. This is his warrior’s name [.] He was the steer’s man. As they went to trapping. And Makwala was setting in the Bow of the canoe as Hunter[s] Do. And they kept close in shore. Then Makwala saw a canoe coming Round a Point. And as soon as the stranger see Makwala canoe. Then one of the two men jumped ashore. And he went into the woods he carry a small Box. And Hex·[s]ᴇleˈselā told his Brother I will shoot that man in the canoe. And Makwala said “make a good shot, for if you don’t he might kill us both.” And Hex·sᴇleˈselā fired and shot him dead. Now there was two women in that stranger’s canoe.

And Makwala took up his gun and went ashore and Run after the man who were carrying a small box. And he saw this man going up a Hill and Makwala shot at him and killed him. And Makwala went and opened the box. And he found four Hamatsa whistles in it. And right away Makwala blew the whistles and he cried “Hap, hap, hap” and as soon as Hex·sᴇleˈselā heard his Brother cry out “Hāp Hāp, hāp” then he knew [?] that his Brother killed a Hamatsa, also he heard the whistle sounding and very soon Makwala came carrying a small [?] Box which had the four [?] carved Whistles [??] in it. And Hex·sᴇleˈselā said to his Brother lāɛᴇms ʟogwālā xᴇn wᴇˈʟaxɛaʟᴇ̣ łāx [?] or now you got good luck of what I heard. And Makwala said I have done [?] well [?] in following that man which I shot and killed. And now I got his whistles By [next 5 lines illeg] ... they took the canoe and all the [illeg] Home with them. On purpose to show their tribe that they killed somebody on account [sic] of the whistles they took [?]. And that winter Hex·sᴇleˈselā [?] Disappeared to Be a Hamatsa Dancer. And when they caught him, the song makers made four Hamatsa songs one fast time beating and the other two slow time beating. And they had to find a name for him. And Hamatsa name is Na’wis or only one on Earth

Now this kind of Hamatsa according to the rule is never given away in marriage. For they have to keep it in the family of the killer. And the name of the Hamatsa is Na’wis. This name is only made up name, for they did not know the name of the Hamatsa they killed. 

That is the End.”