Skagedi and The Man-Eater – A Seneca Legend.

Skagédi lived on a hill, while a man-eater resided at its base. The man-eater possessed a small kettle and a piece of chestnut. One day, he scraped some chestnut into the kettle, using a stick to whip it until it expanded to the desired size, filling it with chestnut pudding. As he sang and danced, he called for someone to join him, striking a post at the end of his house and proclaiming, “If a man-eater comes, I will kill him.” Skagédi, hearing the song, thought, “I am hungry. Maybe I should go to his house for food. He won’t harm me, as I’m not a man-eater. If he calls again, I will go.” As he waited, uncertain, the man-eater sang, “I wish Skagédi would come and help me eat this pudding.” Seizing the opportunity, Skagédi decided to go, singing “HE-GAH-YA” with each leap. At his first jump, he soared over the hill, but hesitated, thinking, “This is too risky; that man is dangerous.” Yet, the song drew him closer, and he found himself near the man-eater’s house.

Despite his fear, Skagédi whispered “HE-GAH-YA” and jumped, but landed right by the man-eater’s door. The man-eater welcomed him inside, assuring, “I’m not going to kill you. I just want you to enjoy some pudding.” Skagédi ate, but when he tried to stop, the man-eater insisted, “You must finish it all; that’s my rule.” After eating, the man-eater warned, “Next time I invite you, don’t turn back once you start.” Exhausted and full, Skagédi returned home, barely jumping a few feet at a time. Meanwhile, the man-eater, having hunted in the South, ventured North, discovering an old man who proposed a game of hide-and-seek with high stakes: the loser’s head. The man-eater, wary, returned to consult Skagédi.

Skagédi agreed to help, advising, “Start inside the house. If you can’t find him, say, ‘I have found you, you are up behind the sun.’ When it’s your turn, hide under his breech-clout. If caught, it’s a tie, but he may escape through a log.” The man-eater followed Skagédi’s advice and, when the old man hid, he declared, “You are up behind the sun,” winning the first round. For his turn, the man-eater hid under the breech-clout, and though the old man guessed wrong, the man-eater ultimately seized the old man’s head. Discovering bones at the woodland’s edge, the man-eater revived the men by calling, “Get up, or the tree will fall on you!” The world knew the old man was defeated, and the man-eater returned home, vowing to stop eating humans.

Some time later, the man-eater encountered a woman with great power, who could capture any living creature by declaring, “I have caught you, I think you are a man.” Fearing her strength, he sought Skagédi’s guidance once more. Skagédi advised, “Call a mole to take you near her. Jump out and say, ‘I have caught you.’ If you succeed, she will be powerless.” The man-eater followed this plan, capturing the woman and instructing her to sing of a dance on her way home. Her sisters, hearing the song, realized she was defeated and arranged a dance to heal her. However, she succumbed during the dance, and the man-eater, having seen the bones around the log, revived the people, including Skagédi’s family and his own wife, ensuring he never consumed human flesh again.

This retelling is shared with respect for the Seneca people, to whom this tradition belongs.

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