Part 12
In olden times the animals met in a lodge to have sleight-of-hand performances. All the medicine-animals and all the birds who had magic power went to this lodge. The animals decided that only the leading animals should perform—the Beaver, the soft-shell Turtle, and the old Witch-Woman.
First, the crowd arose where sat the Medicine-Beaver. The Beaver arose and began to sing, telling his followers to sing. Then the Beaver went to the first post, which was supporting the lodge at the southeast, and began to gnaw it. The post was gnawed until only a small piece of it remained. The Beavers still sang. The Beaver then went to the next post and gnawed away at the base. He gnawed until just a little was left. The Beavers still sang and the Beaver went to the next post and gnawed until he had nearly gnawed through.
The people began to get scared. The animals also became scared, so they called upon the errand man to ask the Beaver not to gnaw the post through, for the lodge was about to fall. The errand man arose and begged the Medicine-Beaver to stop. The Beaver stopped, and then ran around the lodge, repaired all the posts again, and said: “This was only sleight-of-hand. It is not real.” The animals and lookers-on rejoiced to see the trick, for now the lodge stood solid as usual.
Now came the Turtle, who was mad because the Beaver fooled the people. So he called for his followers, and they gathered around him and sang:
“Let me stand where my fathers stood. Let a flood pour forth from my throat! I am doing something wonderful. Let all people look!”
So the people looked. The Turtle took his knife and stuck it close to his left collar-bone. Water began to pour forth from the cut, until there was water all over the lodge. Then the people began to get scared. The errand man was requested to beg the Turtle to stop pouring forth water in the lodge. The errand man begged the Turtle and the Turtle inhaled and drew all the water back into himself. The people all took their places again. Stawi, a Witch-Woman, came, and said:
“Gun given me by old medicine-men. Gun given me by old medicine-men. Gun given me by old medicine-men.”
The old woman had a buffalo robe over her shoulders, and she held in her hands a mysterious-looking thing dotted with spots of white clay and painted in black. At the top of it were red feathers. The object was a gun, a thing to kill with, to shoot medicine. Now, at this time, the old woman wanted to show the power of this mysterious object. She ran around the lodge and then placed the object upon the ground. She ran to it. She wrestled with it. She covered it with her robe. Now she lifted it. She ran around, and all at once she began to groan—as if in pain. At last she called for help, for she was in misery. The people went to her, and there they found the old woman in travail. She was cared for, and she gave birth to a child, who was to become a great medicine-man among the people and a leader in the medicine dance. The medicine-animals rejoiced and sang their songs again with joy.
FOOTNOTES:
[32] Told by White-Bear.
32. THE VILLAGE-BOY AND THE WOLF POWER.[33]
In olden times there was a village, and in this village was a man who had five children—four girls and a boy. In the dances, the girls would go out and take part, although the boy never went on the war-path, and never left the village. For this reason the people called the boy “Village-Boy.”
After a time the people began to make fun of the girls for dancing when their brother had never gone out on the war-path nor taken part in the battle, fought near the village. The girls were sorry. The boy saw that the girls were being made fun of for dancing when he had not gone on the war-path. The young man told his father that he was going up on a high mound where there was a graveyard. The father was glad of this. The boy put black soot upon his face, and he stuck some grass arrows in his hair. He went up into the graveyard, and there he stood, mourning.
While he was there, a big white timber Wolf came to him and asked him what he was crying about. The boy told him that he was a poor boy; that he had never been on the war-path, nor taken a scalp; that he had four sisters who danced in the scalp-dance and were ridiculed for dancing when their brother had never been on the war-path. The Wolf told the boy not to cry, for he would take care of him. The Wolf then told the boy that he would look after him; that he should go into the village; and that the first time there was a war-party he should join it and start out with it; that he, the Wolf, would find him and lead him to the enemy’s camp.
One day it was noised through the camp that the people were going on the war-path. Village-Boy then told his friend that if after they had been gone for three days the scouts should kill any Buffalo, he should get some of the knee-caps of the Buffalo and keep them for him, as he would follow close after them.
The war-party started out, and after they had been gone three days Village-Boy told his father that he was going to start out to overtake the war-party. He also told his sisters to make him some moccasins. So the young man started out on the journey; but before this happened the Wolf had been coming to visit the young man, and had taught the young man the secret powers of the Wolf. So the young man started out, and when he had come to a ravine he rolled himself upon the ground, and when he got up he was a Wolf.
The Wolf followed the trail of the warriors. Some time in the night he came to their camp. He did not go right into the camp, but stayed behind, and some time in the night he barked like a Wolf. His friend said, “There is my friend, Village-Boy.” He took up the burned bones and took them to him. When he got there it was the Village-Boy. He threw the bones at the boy. The boy gnawed at the bones, just like a Wolf. When Village-Boy got through eating, he told his friend to go back to the camp where the others were and to watch out, for the next day he should see him, and that then he should tell the people that it was Village-Boy. The boy went to the camp, while Village-Boy went on ahead.
The next day Village-Boy was seen coming. Village-Boy’s friend told the other warriors that he was Village-Boy. So he ran up to Village-Boy. Village-Boy then told his friend that the enemy’s camp was a short distance away. The warriors then stopped and sang some songs for Village-Boy. Village-Boy departed. The next day they saw him again, driving many ponies. He brought them to the people. Then he led the warriors into camp. The war-party then attacked the enemy’s village. Village-Boy was in the lead. He killed one enemy and took his scalp. He left, and hid out while the battle was going on. After a time the warriors came back where the horses were, and Village-Boy came there. He gave the scalp to the leader of the war-party, also all the ponies, telling him that he was going ahead of them.
Village-Boy now returned to his home. Not a word was spoken by him, nor was anything said by him about the battle. He just lay upon his bed.
A few days afterward the war-party returned home and near the village had a sham battle. The people went out to meet them. It was announced by the leader of the war-party that Village-Boy had done all the killing, and capturing of the ponies. Village-Boy’s father thought that the warriors were making fun of his son because he had come back several days before without anything. But when the warriors came into the village and showed the scalp that Village-Boy had taken and given to the leader, and also when the ponies he had captured were brought to the village, then all the old men believed. Village-Boy’s father scolded him because he had said nothing. Scalp dances were made throughout the village. The young man’s sisters now danced the scalp-dance without fear of ridicule. Whenever the young man went out to dance the women surrounded him. He married and became one of the great men of the village.
One day he took several warriors and went east. He came to a village that was known as the “Village-of-the-Dumb-People.” He left the war-party behind and went into the village by himself. He killed their medicine-man, cut his throat, and carried the head away. As he carried the head away it kept mumbling. The people became excited when they found out that their prophet was dead. They began to talk in a peculiar language. These warriors were followed by the Dumb-People, who did not catch up with them.
The head of the medicine-man was placed in the village. When the head dried it turned into a kind of wood. The people used this head for medicinal purposes. When they wanted to give it to a patient they scraped a portion from the head and gave it to the person for certain sicknesses. It cured many people. The same head is still among our people, only it is about the size of a hen’s egg now.
FOOTNOTES:
[33] Told by Yellow-Bear.
33. THE RABBIT-BOY.[34]
In olden times there was a village upon the Missouri River. In this village the young men were all the time going on the war-path, and there were many dances going on. There was a young man who took no part in their dances, nor in their war-parties. The people made fun of him, but he did not care. Each morning he would sleep until after the sun was high. When he ate he would climb up and sit upon the top of the lodge; but the girls did not seem to care for him. His father scolded him, and wanted to know what was the matter with him. So the young man said, “I have never been anywhere, and I have never felt like going anywhere, but to-day I feel like going upon the graveyard hill, to stand and mourn, and to see if the gods will help me.” The old man took out his white clay. He put it upon the boy, and told him to go up to the graveyard. He said that he hoped the gods would help him. The boy went up on the hill and stood by the graveyard. In the afternoon it stormed. The boy huddled himself against a grave mound. The boy’s father came up and tried to coax him to come down, but the boy was determined to stay there. The old man and the old woman took a piece of buffalo hide and stretched it over the boy, and there he remained during the storm, which lasted several days.
As soon as it cleared up there was a noise overhead that sounded like big wind. The boy did not know what it was, but he could hear whistling coming down from above, then it would come up again. While he was there wondering what it was, there came a Jack-Rabbit. It crawled under his robe. Then an Eagle swooped down and sat by the boy, and it said, “My son, I have run that animal down, and I want you to give it to me, so that I can eat it.” The Rabbit said: “My son, do not give me up! Do not listen to the Eagle! Just now he has the best of me. If you save me I will give you powers that I possess.” The Eagle said: “Give him to me; I want to eat him! If you give him to me I will give you as many scalps (stretching out his right wing) as there are feathers in this wing.” But the young man would not turn the Rabbit loose, for the Rabbit begged him, and said, “I will make you a great warrior.” Then the Eagle said: “Turn that thing loose, so I can eat it, and when I am satisfied, I will give you powers that I possess. I will give you as many scalps as I have feathers on both wings.” But the Rabbit begged hard, and said: “No, do not turn me loose; he will do nothing of the kind. He will take me and eat me and tell you nothing of his power.” The Eagle spread out its wings, and said: “Now see. So many scalps will I give you.” Then the Eagle spread out its tail, and said: “As many feathers as are in my tail—as many of the enemy you shall strike, counting coup. Now give me that which you have there and let me eat it.” The boy said, “No, the Rabbit came to me, and I will take care of him.” The Eagle flew up and away.
The Rabbit now crawled out of the boy’s robe and sat down by him. After a while he said: “My son, I am thankful to you for saving my life. I will make you a great warrior. I will give you a war-club. I will give you a rabbit-skin to wear about your neck. I will give you paint, which you shall put upon your body, and with this club you will kill many enemies.” So the Rabbit gave the rabbit-skin, the war-club, and the medicine paints to the boy.
The boy went down into the village in the night, hung his club and rabbit-skin over the head of his bed, lay down, and went to sleep. The next morning, when the father woke up, he saw these things hanging up. He awakened his wife and told her to see the things that the son had brought back with him. They were both glad to see that the boy had returned.
At this time there was a war-party starting out. The young man told his sisters to make him several pairs of moccasins, for he was going to follow up the warriors. The warriors had been gone for four days when the boy started to follow them. He overtook them on the same day. He selected himself as a scout to go on ahead and see what he could find in the enemy’s country. The young man found the enemy’s camp. He came back and told the warriors what he had found. He then sat down among the warriors. The leader took from his bundle a flint knife and stuck it in the ground in front of where the warriors were sitting. The leading warrior also took a spear and stuck it in the ground. He also stuck in the ground an arrow. “Now,” said he, “warriors, whosoever is going to do hard fighting will please rise and choose the weapon he wishes to fight with.” The young man, who was now known as the “Rabbit-Boy,” arose and took the flint knife. He waited to see if somebody else would take the other weapons. None of them did, so the boy took up the spear and arrow.
Among the warriors was a young man who was very poor. Rabbit-Boy took a liking for him and gave him the spear. He told the young man to follow him wherever he should go. Rabbit-Boy then rose, and said: “Leader and warriors! I shall go on ahead. I shall bring all the ponies belonging to the enemy. I shall hide them in a hollow.” The leader said, “It is well.” So the young man went and brought all the ponies from the village and hid them in a hollow. The young man came and told the leader that the ponies were safe.
The next thing was to attack the enemy in their camp. Rabbit-Boy took his white clay, put it all over his body, put some rabbit-skins around his ankles, also upon his wrists, and then he put a whole skin around his neck, and the two feathers he put on his head to represent rabbit’s ears. The only weapon that he had was the war-club that had been given to him by the Rabbit. Rabbit-Boy planned the attack. The warriors all crawled up to the village just before daylight, and as the sun was coming up in the east an old man came out of the village. He went around yelling for the people to wake and go after their ponies. As he passed in front of where the Rabbit-Boy was, Rabbit-Boy ran and struck the old man on the head and killed him. Then Rabbit-Boy went through the village. As he came to the center of the village he was just about to go by a big tipi, when out came a pretty young girl, who carried a hide-scraper and a robe. The girl saw the young man very plainly. She stopped and watched him. She wished that she might in some way assist him to get away. The people tried their best to kill Rabbit-Boy, but he escaped safe. He then went and joined the other warriors, for they had run away. They reached the ponies, which they divided, and then they went home. When they arrived the people told of the wonderful powers of Rabbit-Boy, and there was great rejoicing in his lodge. The people then recognized him as a great warrior.
Three or four days afterwards the same party of warriors went to the same village. The boy went through the same movements, killing the first man that came out from the village, and as soon as the boy had done these things, the warriors became bold and fought the enemy.
The enemy never charged their village for a long time. The young man was never known as Rabbit-Man in the enemy’s camp. Every time he attacked the village he went through by way of the girl’s tipi. Each time, the girl came out of the tipi. The girl met the boy. At one of these times when the boy had attacked the village and killed a man, he ran by the tipi and saw the girl. The girl cheered him. The boy went on. In another of these attacks, the boy saw the girl. He knew that she must like him. He went on through the village and home.
The people in the boy’s village had scalp dances where all the women took part. The young man seldom took part, but his sisters took part. One night when Rabbit-Boy was lying on his bed the women came. They took him out and made him dance. He danced several times. Four or five women became fond of him and tried to marry him, but he would pay no attention to them. While all this dancing was going on, the girl in the enemy’s camp was making a pretty pair of moccasins, a pair of beaded bracelets and beaded armlets. She sent for a servant, a woman captive from the Arikara. The girl told the woman that she would help her to get back to her people if she would speak to a young man who was killing her people all the time. This servant woman said that she had no way of traveling. The girl said: “I shall give you two of my best ponies, and I want you to take these moccasins and bracelets to that young man, and tell him that he is a brave man; that I want him very badly; and that when he shall come to my tipi I shall have six tipi pegs drawn up on the north side of the tipi where my bed is; that when he shall reach in his hand I will feel for the bracelet, and if I find it upon his wrist I shall know that it is he.” So the girl took the servant woman out of the camp, caught two of her ponies, and they rode many miles. The girl then handed the bracelets, moccasins, and something to eat to the servant woman and told her to go to her people. The woman thanked the girl and went back to her people.
She came to the village of the Arikara. In the night she went to the dances. She asked one woman where Rabbit-Boy was. It happened that on this night the young man was dancing, so the woman went and danced with the young man, then whispered to him and told him that she wanted to see him. The young man thought that she wanted to marry him, but when they were away from the people the woman told Rabbit-Boy how the girl in the enemy’s camp had helped her to get away; that it was the girl who had her tipi in the center of the village every time he went through; that the girl wanted him; and that she had given him the moccasins and the bracelets for him to wear when he should go to her village. The young man said, “I will go.” So the young man started that night. He traveled all the next day and the next night before he reached the enemy’s camp. He went to the north side of the tipi. He felt for the pegs, and there were six of them drawn up. He then knew that the woman had told the truth. He put his hand in, and it was caught. The woman felt for the bracelet, and when she had found it she pulled Rabbit-Boy in. The young man crawled into the tipi and put his robe on top of hers, and crawled under it. There they lay together, although they could not talk. The young man stayed with the girl all night. In the morning, when the girl’s father, who was chief of the tribe, woke up, he saw the things that the boy wore in battle hanging down from a tipi pole. He looked down and there he saw Rabbit-Boy in bed with his daughter. He made a big fire and sent for the warriors. The warriors came, preparing to kill the young man. There was one man who did not come with the rest, but when he came he told the people to disperse to their homes; that although the young man had been killing their people, he, for one, was glad that he had come and married one of their girls; that now he would not kill any more, but that he would lead their people out to the enemy’s country and help kill the people. So the young man and the girl were told to rise and sit by the fireplace. The young man stayed in this village for several months. Now, the people at Rabbit-Boy’s home thought that he had died. But the woman who had returned from captivity told them that he would be coming after a while and that she knew where he was.
The old chief was much pleased to have Rabbit-Boy for a son-in-law, for now he would have scalps hanging on top of his tipi. The people got together one day and said they wanted to go on the war-path. The young man joined them. They went to his own country. The young man put his people at a certain place, while he himself went near to the village and found women who were working in their corn patches. There he found one woman whom the Arikara had captured from the people of his wife’s tribe. Rabbit-Boy killed this woman, took her scalp, and took it back to the people of her tribe. Then the people all went back to their camp and had war dances. The scalp was given to the old chief. He had it strung between his tipi poles, so the scalp hung high in the air. Every time a war-party went out this young man would go with it. He would manage to get the people to stay at a distance. He would then go to the fields, and whenever he found a captive from this tribe he would kill it, but he would not kill members of his own tribe. The young man led several war-parties, and always managed to kill captives, but never killed members of his own tribe. Finally the old chief asked that they might go to the young man’s home. This they did. The young man’s people gave him presents for his wife’s people. They then returned to their country. The Arikara visited them, and they made peace. They never made war on one another any more.
FOOTNOTES:
[34] Told by Elk.
34. THE MAN AND THE WATER-DOGS.[35]
Long ages ago there was a village with so many inhabitants that it had four medicine-lodges. There was one man who was so brave that his fame extended beyond the village. He committed some evil deeds among his own people, but his people were afraid to correct him. Thus he went on, committing more misdemeanors. He became so bad that the people undertook to take his life. They formed a plot to seize him. One family invited the man to a feast. When he entered the lodge many men gathered about the lodge and waited till he came out. The man came out and walked very slowly toward the river. He never paid no attention to the men nor even tried to fight back, but went on his way. Finally he stepped into the river, and some one cried out to the men to catch him, but it was too late. He sank down in the water and the people shouted for joy, because they thought he was drowned.
The man walked on down on the bottom of the river and he saw there a tipi. From its door came a Dog, and the Dog called to the man to come in. He went in, and he saw many Dogs. The leader of the Dogs raised his head and said that he was not hurt and that they never would injure him. The leader showed much mercy toward the man and told him not to be afraid of any man; and that if he should ever get hurt he was to come right to the water and the Dogs would be glad to receive him. So the man went out of the tipi and came up out of the water. When it was night he went to the village.