The Mischief Maker. A Tradition of the Origin of the Mythology of the Senecas

A mischievous traveler was wandering near a Seneca village. He pondered how to draw attention and noticed two girls approaching from the wigwams. With a playful idea, he uprooted a wild plum bush and placed it upon his head, its roots wrapping under his chin. “A plum tree growing on my head will surely intrigue them,” he mused as ripe plums fell with each step. The girls, captivated by the unusual sight, expressed a desire to have such trees themselves. The traveler obliged, planting bushes on their heads, which bore plums as quickly as they were picked. Proudly, the girls walked with their newfound adornments.

Continuing to the village, the traveler removed his own tree and made a loud call to announce his arrival. When messengers came to inquire about the news he brought, he shared the tale of the two girls with plum trees growing from their heads. Intrigued, the villagers decided to see for themselves. However, they found one girl struggling on the ground as her friend pulled at the tree, removing it along with her hair. The girls, realizing they had been tricked, vowed to punish the traveler. Yet, by the time the villagers returned to the village with their tale of magical trees and trickery, the traveler had already moved on.

At another settlement, the traveler encountered a group of five blind sisters who relied on a thong stretched from tree to tree to find water. Seeing an opportunity for mischief, he redirected the thong, causing confusion when one sister found no water. Another sister, annoyed and accusing laziness, took over, only to be met with more trouble when the mischievous traveler threw hot pudding into their faces, sparking a quarrel. As the traveler left the sisters to their chaos, he moved to the next village, where he proclaimed a remedy for an impending pestilence: everyone should embrace the person next to them. The village erupted into a frenzy of embraces, while the traveler quietly slipped away.

In another village, he played a similar trick by advising women to knock down the nearest man to cure a non-existent pestilence, leading to a chaotic brawl. Satisfied with his antics, he camped in the woods for the night, where he encountered a stranger. After a night of storytelling, the traveler cleverly put the stranger to sleep with a guessing game about the wood of his campfire logs, then smeared clay on the stranger’s eyes and departed. As word of his pranks spread, tribes sent runners to capture him, but he always stayed a step ahead. Eventually, he climbed a tree to escape his pursuers, and a column of smoke carried him to the Great Chief’s domain.

In this new place, the traveler spent many moons learning and observing, until the Great Chief instructed him to return to his people and teach them what he had learned. Reluctant but obedient, he descended back to the earth, now resolved to use his knowledge for peace rather than mischief. He arrived at a village and declared, “I was the Mischief Maker, but now I am the Peace Maker.” He shared teachings about the Great Spirit, Ha-wen-ni-yu, and the harmony of the world, urging gratitude and reverence. As he spoke, the villagers listened intently, and when he finished, they danced and celebrated around the fire, embracing the wisdom he brought from the happy hunting grounds.

This retelling of a Seneca legend respects its origins and cultural significance, acknowledging the living tradition of the Seneca people.

Return to Seneca Legends